


A Little Snow

by spindleofaspinningwheel



Category: Major Crimes (TV), The Closer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Prompt, F/M, Fluff and Humor, New York City, Snowed In, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-09-06 09:55:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 50,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16830289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spindleofaspinningwheel/pseuds/spindleofaspinningwheel
Summary: This is a tumblr holiday prompt response to "Looks like we're snowed in" that got way way out of hand. I originally posted the first two chapters here because they were too long for tumblr... but now it has grown. Also on ffn... It is predictable and silly... a total holiday story cliche. Set pre relationship/Major Crimes





	1. Delayed

**Author's Note:**

> This is a tumblr holiday prompt response to "Looks like we're snowed in" that got way way out of hand... I am posting what I have here so that I do not take up too much space on tumblr. It may eventually make it to ffn, but I am not sure right now. Set sometime pre relationship/Major Crimes

_**“Looks like we’re snowed in.”** _

“Good evening folks,” came a composed voice over the intercom system. “This is Bill from the flight deck; bit of some bad news for your holiday this evening. It looks like the conditions on the ground at Newark have worsened while in flight. They are diverting us to Dulles.” The pilot paused and a number of sighs and grunts of frustration were heard throughout the cabin. “I am very sorry for the delay to your travel plans. Once we get on the ground there will be gate agents to assist in insuring you all make it to your destinations as soon as possible. Again, on behalf of the airline I apologize for this delay. If anyone is still up and moving around the cabin I am going to ask that you please take your seats, we should be on the ground shortly.”

When the static clicked off Sharon sat back in her seat with an aggravated sigh. She only had a small window for Christmas this year. With her daughter's new work schedule, Emily was not able to get away for more than a couple days. Plus, Ricky was spending the year studying abroad, so it had not made any sense for him to spend more time in the air than he would be on the ground; even if it was Christmas. Not one to miss a chance to see her children, or to miss Christmas, Sharon had decided to fly out to meet her daughter. It had been years since she Christmas in the city and was looking forward to the break. A mid day nonstop flight from LAX to Newark had seemed like her best bet to get out there, but the change in the forecast was distressing to say the least. She checked the time on her phone to see that it was around 8:00pm local time. Even though it was already dark she imagined that renting a car to take her the rest of the way would not delay her too long, no matter the road conditions.

When the plane landed safely in Virginia she waited for the rows ahead of her to stand before preparing to deplane. As she waited she saw a familiar Lieutenant stand a few rows ahead and retrieve his luggage from the overhead bin. Sharon ducked quickly to hide her face as he shouldered his bag and then reached up to help retrieve the bag for the passenger beside him. Sharon slowly peeked up from behind the seat to make sure he had not spotted her. Andy was standing in the aisle he was facing forward, patiently waiting his turn. She let out a sigh of relief that she had not been seen; a small miracle during an already rocky trip.

Once the cabin doors were unlatched he shuffled down the aisle along with the other passengers. Sharon stood to begin with her own departure. As she entered the terminal she waded through the crowds of tense passengers waiting to rearrange their flights. She bypassed the crowd and instead followed the signs for the tram to the car rentals. With her bag in tow she situated herself on the train.

When the tram doors slid open she stepped out to stay clear of the closing doors, but immediately froze on the platform. Standing at the nearest rental desk stood Andy Flynn negotiating a car deal. Still hoping to avoid any potential volatile conversations, she contemplated stepping back onto the train. However, before she could make a move one way or the other a stranger with his face in his phone tripped over her rolling suitcase.

“Oh,” she exclaimed drawing the attention of the room as she lost her balance. She tried to brace herself against the handle of her case, but the wheels betrayed her. They went skidding out from under her pulling her body and the other person along with them. 

The man who had run into her grunted his apologies as they both tangled in the luggage and lost their footings.

Sharon braced herself for an ungraceful fall, but before she hit the ground she felt a firm hand wrap around her upper arm to steady her fall. “Careful, Captain,” came an all too familiar drawl. “I’m sure even witch’s bones will brake if they fall hard enough.” Sharon sighed irritatedly at the dig as she tried to pull out of his grasp. Andy rolled his eyes at her response and turned his attention to the man. “Hey buddy,” he scolded, “watch where you’re going. It’s Christmas, we all have places we need to be. No reason to race through here. You’re going to hurt someone.”

The other man grunted another apology as he dusted himself off and continued on his way. Andy let out an annoyed huff as he watched the man retreat, still at an alarmingly fast pace.

“You okay?” he muttered to Sharon running his over her as she straightened her jacket. He picked up the handle of her suitcase and handed it over to her.

Sharon nodded, “Yes, I’m fine.” She took the case from him and exhaled, “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, Captain.” He gestured to the airport around them, “I take it you’re stuck here too? Where you were headed?”

“An amazing deduction, Lieutenant,” she sighed sounding a little too annoyed. “Yes, it would appear that I am stuck here as well.”

Andy shook his head at her tone, “Well, Captain. I’m sorry for trying to be nice.” He stepped one foot back as he prepared to turn away, “I won’t bother you anymore. Next time I may just let you fall.”

Sharon rolled her eyes at her own behavior, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I mean. I am just frustrated. I did not expect to be here and then of course getting bulldozed…” she paused briefly to shake off her bitter mood. “I’m sorry,” she repeated more genuinely. “Thank you for your help. Yes, I am stuck here too. I was flying to New York to spend the holiday with my daughter, or I was until the snow closed the surrounding airports and stranded me here.”

Andy nodded, “Same. I was flying out to join my sister for Christmas.” He pointed to the car rental desk, “I figured I would just rent a car to take me the last few hours. It has been years since I drove in the snow, but I think I can manage.”

Sharon sighed, “I had the same idea. It’s only a few hours away. I assumed the road would be mostly deserted at this rate.” She shrugged again, “and it beats waiting around here hoping for an early flight in the morning. At least I could feel like I was making some progress.”

“Agreed,” Andy grinned gesturing toward the desk. “This may be a strange idea, seeing as how we generally can’t stand the sight of one another, but what do you say to sharing a car? May make the drive go by faster, and at least there is someone there to check the maps and radar.”

Sharon pursed her lips at the idea. Spending hours trapped in a car with Flynn was definitely not her idea of a _Merry Christmas_. However, she was nothing is she was not practical. After all the ride would go faster with two drivers and if they were going the same direction it would save them each some costs and free up cars for other forsaken passengers. “Fine,” she nodded reluctantly. “That makes sense to me.”

“You don’t have to say yes,” he mocked at her unenthusiastic response. “I was just trying to be nice here. It is Christmas and everything.”

“You’re right,” Sharon breathed dejectedly. “I just had not expected this. I am a tad bit annoyed at the situation.”

Andy stepped toward the desk, “Join the club.” He turned to the counter to complete his earlier task of securing a vehicle. The agent had him sign a few forms before hading him a set of keys and pointing outside to the covered garage. Andy took the keys in one hand and shouldered his bag on his other arm. He looked back to Sharon and with a strained smile stated, “All right Captain. We are set to go.” She nodded and followed him to the small SUV he had secured for the evening.

An hour later they were on the mostly empty interstate slowly heading north. The roads were wet, but not yet impassable. They traveled along in companionable silence each not wanting to share too much with the other. As the next exit came into view Andy flipped on the blinker. “I’m sorry Captain, but I need a coffee. I had a long week and if we are going to finish this trip tonight I need to fuel up.”

“Sounds good,” Sharon agreed sitting up straighter in her seat to look for a gas station. “I’m sorry. I could drive if you want to rest? I worked this week as well, but just the normal hours. I am not overly tired.” 

Andy shook his head, “I’m fine. I mean you can drive if you want of course, but I am the one on the insurance agreement. Would hate for us to get caught breaking the rules.”

Sharon chuckled lightly at his comment, “Oh yes, you do have a very strict no-nonsense rule following policy. That is one of the things you are most known for and can always be counted on to uphold.”

Andy laughed at her unexpected response, “Why Captain Raydor, did you just make a joke?”

She rolled her eyes, “Come on Flynn, I’m not that awful. I do have a sense of humor, and I mean how could I not right now. Look at us; we are thousands of miles from home, stuck together in a rental car, and driving into unknown weather conditions to get to our families in time for Christmas. Plus, we don’t even like each other.” She rolled her head to the face him, “The universe is playing a very strange joke of its own on us right now.”

“Indeed,” he chuckled. “Let’s just hope this is short lived and we won’t be too badly damaged by the experience.” She raised an eyebrow in his direction but said nothing more as he pulled the off the freeway and into the nearest gas station. “You want anything?” He asked as he exited the car with a grin, “my treat.”

Sharon placed her hand over her heart feigning shock, “You’re offering to get me something? And they say there’s no such thing as Christmas miracles.”

Andy chuckled again, “It’s a one time offer. Don’t get used to it.”

“I won’t,” she smiled in return, “but that's fine. I’ll take a coffee. I need to make sure I am on my game. I don’t want you to get us lost out here.”

“Funny,” he chuckled again, before closing the door and walking inside.

In the car Sharon dropped her head onto the back of her seat and sighed. By this time in the evening she had expected to be landing in Jersey and catching a cab to Emily’s studio apartment on the west side of the city. Her daughter would be arriving home around the same time, and they had planned to spend the evening catching up on everything going on in Emily’s world. Instead, she was stuck in a thankfully not too stressful car with someone who was definitely not on her list of friendly colleagues. Although to be fair that was not exactly a long list. 

A knock on her window brought her out of her thoughts. She spun her head toward the glass. On the other side Andy stood holding a coffee cup in each hand. She reached out to roll down the window and take her cup from him, “Thank you, Lieutenant.” Before pressing the button to close it again. Andy nodded and walked around to his side of the car. He fell into his seat, slightly more irritated than he had been before. “What’s wrong?” she probed growing concerned at his souring mood.

He rolled his head in her direction. “The cashier warned that the road conditions are quickly deteriorating up north. He suggested we stay here for the night.”

Sharon pressed her lips together in consideration, “What do you think?”

“I think,” he sighed, “that he was probably just being overly cautious. I want to keep going.”

Sharon nodded, “I want to keep going too, but only if it is safe. It does not do us any good to wind up in a ditch, or stranded on the side of the road in the cold.”

“I agree,” Andy nodded, “but I am not stupid. I know my limits. I think we should keep going until we can’t.”

Not wanting to argue Sharon nodded again, “Okay, but as soon as conditions become too much we stop. Deal?”

“Deal,” he groaned and started the engine. “Let’s go.”

Another fifty miles or so along in their journey and the conditions had indeed begun to decline. The windshield wipers were beating back and forth as the headlights only illuminated a small patch of dark road at a time.

“It looks like we are trapped in a snow globe,” Sharon sighed rubbing her hands together. She squinted out the windows to see if she could make out any lights ahead. The drive was not secluded by any means, but there were better placed to stop than others. Up ahead she saw the lights to a _Fairfield Inn_ illuminated against the falling snow. She pointed out the window, “It may not be a bad time to stop, Lieutenant.” 

“I know, Captain,” he snapped letting his frustration at the situation out too freely. 

Sharon whipped her head around, “Careful Flynn, I was just trying to be helpful. You don’t have to bite my head off. It isn’t my fault we are here.”

“But it’s mine?” he moaned irrationally. “We could have stopped back there or even not rented a car together at all. No we are about to be stuck miles from both airports.”

Sharon rolled her eyes at the change in his temperament, “Yes, because that is exactly what I was implying,” she turned in her seat to face him. “Come on Flynn, do you really think I was blaming you for this? It is the weather and our own stubbornness to push through, nothing more.”

“Stubbornness?” Andy grumbled flipping on the blinker once more to direct the car off of the road. “Fine,” he groaned, “sorry for snapping.” He gripped the steering wheel tensely as he drove them toward the hotel. “Looks like we’re snowed in. What a Christmas this is turning out to be.” He stopped the car under the covered awning; “I’ll let you out here and park the car. If you get checked in before me I’ll see you down here in the morning. We will get back on the road as soon as the sun is up.”

Sharon nodded and opened her door, “Okay. I’ll see you in the morning then.” She opened the back door to retrieve her suitcase before striding into the hotel.

For the late hour there were quite a number of people loitering in the lobby. Many were stranded travelers, like her, bunkering down for the night. She got in line to wait for the next available assistant. While she waited, the glass doors behind her slid open to welcome yet another couple. She craned her neck to see if Andy was there yet, but before she could think too much more about it the next available hotel desk agent called, “How can I help you?” 

Sharon secured herself a room and set off toward the elevators. When she crossed the doorway, Andy finally entered the lobby. She waved and repeated; “See you in the morning.”

“Night, Captain,” he sighed queuing at the back of the line.


	2. Pillows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I broke this into two chapters, still answering the prompt... I am usually not long winded when it comes to these. I apologize for not being able to cool it. :)

Half an hour later Sharon sat on the side of the bed holding her phone in her hand. She had updated her daughter on her progress and promised they would be careful on their drive in the morning. Sharon was sad that the evening had taken such a turn. She was not necessarily upset that they had tried to make the drive, but instead that they had been in the situation in the first place. Dropping her phone to the nightstand she fell back onto the mattress and stared tiredly up at the ceiling.

A knock at the door had her sitting up slowly. She stood and walked to the door. An exasperated sigh escaped her lips as she looked through the peephole to see her travel companion on the other side. She unchained the lock. Squinting at him she questioned, "What are you doing here?"

"They ran out of rooms," he grunted through clenched teeth.

"Okay," she drawled, not liking where this conversation was going. "And you are outside of mine because?"

"Because they kicked me out of the lobby," he interrupted. "Apparently you aren't allowed to sleep on their couches."

Sharon bit down on her bottom lip, "So, you are still going to stay here?"

"Unless you want me to leave you at the hotel." He rolled his eyes, "I have the car, remember?"

She nodded slightly, "But how did you know which room I was in? They aren't allowed to give out that kind of information?"

"I flashed my badge," he shrugged, "kid behind the desk didn't know that he needed more than that."

She stepped back slightly, "What? You flashed your badge? Lieutenant..." she tensed at the idea, "You can't do that."

"i didn't have any other ideas, you didn't answer your phone."

Shaking her head again, but really not wanting to address it she nodded toward her room, "This is not the time Flynn, but I don't have a couch for you either."

At the opening Andy took the opportunity to stride into the room. He walked passed the small bathroom and gestured to the king sized bed, “Looks like there is room.”

Sharon rushed passed him, “Are you kidding me right now? You want to share with me?”

“Look,” Andy huffed tiredly. “This is the only option. Trust me, I would much rather be in my own room, or better yet at my sister’s enjoying a nice beginning to the holiday. Instead we are here. This is what we have.” He gestured again to the bed, “Unless you are afraid you won’t be able to resist my charms this evening, Captain, this is our only option.”

Knowing his argument made sense Sharon grabbed a pillow from the bed. “Fine,” she tossed it toward him, “What about the floor then?”

Andy dropped his bag and caught the pillow, “Are you joking?”

“Nope,” she replied. “It is only for a couple hours.”

Shaking his head Andy looked from the bed to the floor and then back to Sharon. He shot her a sly grin before he dove onto the opposite side of the bed and kicked off his shoes. “Sorry, not moving.”

“What are you five?” Sharon exclaimed with her hands on her hips. She picked up another pillow and tossed it into his side.

He gasped as it hit him, “I am not sleeping on the floor, Captain. My back is sore enough already from the flight and the drive. If you want to leave at any point tomorrow you will suck it up and stop arguing.”

“Fine,” she rolled her eyes. She turned to the bathroom and came back out rolling the towels into long cords. He watched her suspiciously, but neither said a word. After rolling the towels she scooted onto the bed and lined them up down the middle of the bed. Then she took the pillows and added them to the barricade.

Andy rolled onto his side, “You have got to be kidding me.”

Sharon pursed her lips and untucked the covers. Climbing into bed she pointed at him, “I’m not and you better stay on your side.”

Now beyond amused by her antics Andy lifted two fingers into the air, “Scout’s honor.”

She let out another exasperated sigh and rolled over to flip off the light.

After a few moments of somewhat tense silence Andy whispered, “You know this could be worse. I mean you aren’t really that awful of a travel companion.”

“Really now, Lieutenant,” she droned. “You know you don’t have to say anything. Don’t hurt yourself with any compliments or anything. We are not friends and we are only here because of the weather.”

Andy shrugged staring up at the ceiling, “Who knows, someday we could be friends.”

“Yes,” she shook her head, “because you are hurting for those.”

Andy sighed, “Not what I meant, sorry. I mean - I’m sorry we are here and maybe sorry for always being a jerk.” On the other side of the bed Sharon lifted one of her eye brows in surprise as he continued, “But really you’re not really all that fun to be around either. Even if it is kind of fun to see how far we can push you”

“Ha-ha,” Sharon mocked sardonically. After a moment she sighed, “I know you what you mean, and you really aren’t that bad either. I mean you are a good cop, a good person, just a total ass.”

Andy laughed at her description of him, “I’ll take it.” After another moment he broke the silence, “So, did you speak to your daughter?”

Sharon hummed, “Yes, she said to be safe and not to rush.”

“Good advice,” Andy nodded. When she did not say anything else he mimicked, “ _Did you call your sister, Lieutenant_?” She smirked and listened to his conversation. “Oh, yes Captain I did. Thank you for asking. She told me I as an idiot for trying to get up there tonight, but now that I had I had better stay safe and be smart.”

Sharon chuckled, “Wise words.”

“She’s a wise woman,” he smiled.

“So, you are spending Christmas with your sister?” She probed, “that must be nice.”

Andy nodded, “Yes I am and it will be. She has had a bit of a rough few years. She was not able to travel, some health concerns.”

“I see,” Sharon bit down on her bottom lip hoping everything was all right. “It is kind of you to come out here then.”

He sighed, “I guess. I don’t get out as often as I would like.” Andy paused for a moment considering his next words, “But I did not have any other holiday plans and she seemed kind of down. I was hoping it would be a nice to not be alone. You see my ex and the replacement husband took the kids to Hawaii for Christmas.”

Sharon pressed her lips together, before trying to seem diplomatic, “Well, that will be fun for them.”

“Yes,” Andy shrugged again, “I guess. It would have been nice to see them though. As they get older it is more and more difficult to coordinate with their schedules. Also, it doesn’t help that we are still working through some things.” 

She rolled her head in his direction, “I am sure they will want to do something when they return. I know my own kids would love to see their father if he made even the slightest effort to show up for anything.”

“Maybe,” he shrugged rolling his head to face to her, “but that has not been my experience. I’ll just keep trying.”

Sharon sighed breaking their eye contact as she stared back up at the ceiling, “What else can you do?”

They both lay on their opposite sides of the bed in contemplative silence. Sharon was staring up at the ceiling and Andy was facing her, but not really focusing on anything. After a moment she reached over and removed one of the pillows from her barrier. She tucked it under her head and curled into her side and sighed looking over at him, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Andy wondered allowing his eyes to drift back to her.

She shrugged, “I don’t know, just for the situation. I know this isn’t how you wanted to spend Christmas.”

He fixed his mouth into a half grin, “Eh, it could be worse. We could be stuck a couple hours back fighting for a spot to sleep at the airport terminal.”

“Silver lining,” she chuckled softly before closing her eyes briefly and looking back at him. “And I’m sorry that your kids are out and that your sister is not feeling well.”

He shrugged, “That’s life. Just have to make the best of it.” 

“You do,” she agreed closing her eyes again.

Andy rolled his head in her direction, “I know this is not ideal, but thanks for letting me stay.”

With her eyes still closed she grinned, “You did not exactly give me a choice.”

“You always have a choice,” Andy smirked. “If it was going to be an issue you would have shot me.”

She laughed, “Lucky you then that my weapon is back in Los Angeles. I could always find a bean bag or something though, so don’t push it.”

“Noted,” he retorted amusedly. After another moment he glanced back over to her. Her eyes were closed again, the travel and stress catching up to her. He rolled onto his side facing her, “Night Captain.”

“Hm,” she hummed, “night.”


	3. Hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ]I really appreciate all of you taking the time to read, follow, and/or review this silly little thing. This update picks up a couple hours after the last one. The holiday prompt sentence of "No, I really don't think that is a good idea," was worked into this chapter at the request of aliensvu. I am not sure when the next update will be, but it probably will not be too long of a wait... Meanwhile, if any of you are reading With a Bit of Luck I should be finally wrapping that one up in the next couple of days. I hope everyone has a wonderful, safe, and relaxing weekend!

A couple hours later the wind beating against the window startled Sharon awake. With her eyes still closed she groaned quietly into her pillow. She folded her body slightly to try to block out the noise outside, but stopped short at the sound of soft puffs of air beside her. Fleetingly, she wondered how Jack had gotten into her condo, but then a soft tug on her hand pulled her back to reality - a grounded plane, a rental car, a snowstorm, and a packed hotel.

She opened her eyes and squinted into the dark. As her vision adjusted the hotel room slowly came into focus. Groggily her eyes traveled from the room to the other person in the bed. No, the other person was definitely not Jack and this was most certainly not her bedroom. Sharon let out a slow breath. She shivered involuntarily against the chill as her eyes focused on the Lieutenant beside her. The small barrier of towels had fallen to the side, and they were now lying very close to one another. Slowly the events of the last few hours returned, and she groaned internally present situation. It was not like she had never slept on one side of the bed before. She marveled at how this evening of all evenings she had migrated to the center.

Not wanting to be found lying so close she braced herself to stealthily roll away from the center of the bed. Although, before she could make her move she felt a slight tug on her hand. Sharon glanced down at the bed between them and rolled her eyes at the sight. They were holding hands in their sleep. She let out a slow breath at the cliché and attempted to calmly remove her hand from his grasp. Yet, at the shift in pressure, he tightened his hold and grumbled nonsensically in his sleep. She froze until he stilled. Growing frustrated she stared at his sleeping face. She had to force herself to hold back a laugh at the utter absurdity of the situation. Once again she tried to slowly retract her hand his hold. Of course, instead of freedom he grumbled again and pulled their joined hands to him. A surprised gasp escaped her lips when he tucked her closer to him and laid their connected arms on her left hip.

“Flynn,” she whispered cautiously, suddenly unsure of how to proceed. Sharon looked down to their hands and back to his chest calculating her next move. After a moment she took another deep breath and tried to roll away. However, she had not realized how strong of a hold her had on her hand, and that her body was somewhat trapped beside him.

When she twisted Sharon only managed to flip onto her other side so that her back was facing him; their hands falling together around her middle. She inhaled slowly, but before she could scoot again he grunted in his sleep. In unconscious protest to the movement he tightened his hold once again drawing her more firmly into his chest. “Flynn,” Sharon stated more determinedly this time pushing her back against him. Just as she was about to resort to more drastic measure he finally began to stir.

“What?” He grumbled groggily. He shifted forward and tucked his face into her hair curling in around her neck. Andy inhaled slowly and froze. His eyes shot open at the realization of where he was and whom he was with. He pushed away from her and mumbled, “Shit, sorry, Captain.” As he pulled away with his torso her body was spun back around by their hold. He glanced down and released her hand in the air between them. “Sorry,” he repeated clearly surprised by the turn of events. “I, um…” he stuttered his words trying to catch up with his actions.

Sharon bit down on her lip awkwardly. She slowly met his eyes and rationalized, “It’s okay. We fell asleep.”

On his back, he shook his head and echoed, “Yes, asleep.” Andy ran a hand over his face to calm his breathing. “What time is it?” He exhaled slowly, his hand shielding his eyes while his thumb and index finger pressed into his temples.

“Still late, or early,” she shrugged rolling to the nightstand to check her phone. “It is close to 4,” she revealed disappointedly. Remembering what had awoken her to begin with, she rolled back over and propped herself up on her elbow. Her gaze fell to the window behind him and sighed, “The wind woke me.” She crinkled her nose at the sight of giant snowflakes crashing around in chaotic patterns. “It looks worse out there,” she groaned.

Andy removed his hand from his forehead and rolled toward the window to see for himself. “Only a little snow,” he groaned sarcastically closing his eyes again. He flopped back onto his back and sighed, “What a holiday this has turned out to be... snowed in with Captain Raydor.”

At his words she frowned, slightly offended. She released her elbow and fell back to the bed. Sharon rolled her eyes and lamented, “Oh yes, such a witch. It would be pure torture to be trapped anywhere with _that woman_.”

Wincing slightly at his own slip, Andy rolled his head toward her. “I didn’t mean it like that,” he grunted. “I just meant, I mean... well, did I maybe say the wrong thing? Yes. Was that the first time? No. But, are we stuck here together instead of spending time with our loved ones? Looks like it. Could it be worse? Possibly...” He forced a grin as he waited for her to meet his eyes, “Am I an idiot for not thinking before I speak? Definitely.”

As his ramble concluded she turned to face him. “Yes,” she agreed with a slow smirk. “Definitely an idiot, but I suppose I understand. This is definitely not ideal.” Having nothing further to add he closed his mouth and nodded. Still a little shaken over their somewhat intimate wake up call she fidgeted slightly. “Listen, Lieutenant - “

“Andy,” he interrupted with a sigh. She gave him a skeptical look as he continued, “Can we drop the titles? We are stranded together thousands of miles from work. I can just be Andy.” He raised one arm and gestured to the wintry weather outside, “Plus, it seems as though we may be trapped here or in the car for a little longer than we planned.” He rolled his head in her direction, “What do you say, Sharon? Sound like a good idea?”

She pursed her lips in consideration. “No, I really don’t think that is a good idea,” she sighed. “I mean we are -“

“Adults,” Andy suggested completing her sentence. “We are adults stuck in one of the most ridiculous situations imaginable. Come on Sharon. Neither one of us wants to be here right now, but here we are. We may as well try to get along for the sake of the trip. ”

She let out an anxious chuckle before she mumbled, “You can say that again, Flynn.” When he smiled back at her questioningly she rolled her eyes, “All right, _Andy_ , I guess you’re right.”

“I’m right?” He echoed in shock. “Did Captain Sharon Raydor just admit that I, Lieutenant Andy Flynn, was right about something? Quick, what’s the date?” He made a small motion to the side as if he were going to document her confession. 

She smiled hesitantly, “Careful Lieutenant. There are no witnesses. I can take it all back...”

“Really Captain?” Andy teased lightly. “I think I have my proof,” he shrugged, “I mean having my phone documenting this entire ordeal should suffice, right?”

Sharon shot up quickly and panicked, “What? Your phone!”

At her speed Andy inhaled quickly choking on the air as he laughed out loud. He held up his hand, “Wait... joke...” he coughed between breaths. “It was a joke.” Andy reached for his phone and tossed it to her trying to calm his breathing. “See for yourself." 

Sharon eyed the phone warily and quipped, “Hilarious.”

“I would say so,” he affirmed reaching for his phone again to return it to the bedside table. When he shifted back to his side of the bed she was still seated in the middle shaking off the rush of adrenaline he had caused by his prank. “You okay, Sharon?” He sighed, “I’m sorry, but you have to admit that was a good one. You may need to calm down just a bit if we are going to be together for a while longer. You can trust me here. I am not happy about this situation either, but we might as well make the best of it.”

“You’re right,” she repeated again before she flopped back down to her side of the bed to stare up at the ceiling.

Andy swiveled his head in her direction. “Right again?” He recapped. “I am definitely going to have to get this in writing now, Sharon. No one is going to believe me. Twice in one day, and it isn’t even morning yet. I am truly beginning to believe in Christmas miracles.”

Sharon shook her head in jest, “Yes, but the true miracle will be if you survive the rest of the day. Especially if you don’t stop thinking you are funny.” She closed her eyes and pulled the comforter back around her, “and just so we are clear? I really don’t think anyone from work needs to know about this little adventure. Especially our current situation.” 

“Agreed,” Andy sighed as he watched her try to get comfortable again. “I do not think we need to be sharing anything about this weekend. The rumor mill at that place is already crazy enough. I mean have you heard the one Nichols down in traffic? What a doozy,” He paused for a moment, “although he is kind of a special treasure. I wouldn’t doubt there was some truth to it.” As he rambled on lightheartedly, Sharon let out a small shiver. She tucked herself further into the blankets and tried to get comfortable again. Andy dipped his head to her and asked plainly, “Cold?”

Facing him with her eyes closed and blankets high around her neck, Sharon mumbled, “No of course not. What about being stuck in a blizzard would suggest being cold? I mean it’s a balmy twelve degrees outside and maybe, what? Fifty-five, sixty or so degrees in here? In fact I am so warm and cozy that I am even considering going for a swim in the morning. You saw the pool when we came in, right?” She burrowed deeper into the bed in an attempt to fall back to sleep.

“Sounds like a plan,” Andy rationalized sarcastically rolling onto his right side to face away from her. “Try not to wake me when you leave in the morning then. Oh and take your phone with you just in case of hypothermia. I would hate for you to truly become the ice queen.”

At the joke Sharon opened one eye and stared at his back. She pursed her lips wondering if it was worth the effort to respond. As she watched him quietly he pushed the covers down slightly and kicked one foot out to dangle off the side of the bed. She rolled her eyes and thought to herself, _is he seriously too warm, it's freezing in here?_ As she continued to stare she noticed his body relax and his breathing even out as he fell back to sleep. At the rhythmic sound of his breathing her own eyes grew heavy and she dozed off again as well.


	4. Breakfast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Last chapter was even more silly. Hopefully you will forgive me for the random bit of fun. Thank you again so much for the messages, reviews, and kudos! Also, thank you so much all of your who commented on the last bit of the Luck story. I had a lot of fun with that one. :) I am hoping to update this story again very soon, but we shall see how the rest of the day goes. This chapter picks up again a couple hours after the last one...

The next thing Sharon realized was that she was warm, very warm. Which was odd since she knew that it was freezing outside and that the hotel was not exactly well insulated. Her mind was hazy over the thought until the feel of cotton underneath her cheek caused her eyes to shoot open. At some point in the few hours since she had fallen back to sleep she had once again migrated across the tiny towel barrier she had created. In her sleep she had sought out warmth, and unfortunately for her it was the other occupant of the bed. Fortunately though this time she was only cuddled against his back, nothing like their earlier connection. Sharon let out a quiet sigh of frustration. She was slightly horrified over the fact that for some reason she was unable to stay on her side of the bed. She did not feel like she moved around in her sleep on a regular basis, but of course tonight of all nights her sleep habits had to change. Sharon rolled her eyes and pushed lightly against the bed to slowly scoot away.

At the shift in the mattress, still on his side facing the window, Andy blinked himself awake. He stretched lightly and squinted out the window in front of him. The snow was still falling, but it did appear that the wind had died down somewhat. Andy stretched again and rolled onto his back. As he ran his hand over his face he noted Sharon moving slowly beside him. He angled his head to his left and focused one eye on her to see she was also awake. "Morning," he grumbled hoarsely.

"Mm hmm," Sharon hummed in response as she stood from the bed.

Not exactly sure what else to say he shrugged, "Looks like it is still snowing."

"A very astute observation, Lieutenant," Sharon sighed softly, wrapping her arms loosely around her middle.

Andy rolled his head back to his pillow, "Wow, back to that then?" He groaned still waking up, "Great, Captain, we have a hell of a day ahead of us then. You do realize we still have to drive together the rest of the way into the city, and then navigate any traffic or road hazards there as well, right?"

Sharon bit down on her lip and sighed, "Sorry, Andy. I just, I guess I am a little bit frustrated with all of this." She grimaced slightly at her earlier reaction, since part of it was due to her irritation with herself for not being able to remain still as she slept.

"Join the club," he grumbled in response.

She stood on her side of the bed for a moment staring between him and the window. "Well," she shrugged, "at least it does look less intense this morning. It is not exactly over, but with it at least being morning maybe it will not be too bad out there." She walked to her suitcase, "We might as well get ready to go." Sharon gathered her things and turned toward the bathroom.

From his spot on the bed Andy nodded as he repeated, "Might as well." He watched her wheel her suitcase into the bathroom and close the door behind her. As the door closed he heard the lock click. At the sound he sighed into the room, "Yes, because I was going to barge in on you. You are simply that irresistible." He glanced to the door and continued to mock lightly to himself, "but who was the heat seeker last night?" After taking another moment to mentally prepare for the day ahead he kicked off the sheets and stood. He threw on some fresh clothes and decided to go downstairs in search of coffee and a bite to eat.

In the bathroom Sharon heard the main door open and close, and let out a sigh of relief to be alone for a moment. She turned on the shower and then turned to face the mirror. With her hands on either side of the vanity she stared into her reflection. The trip was obviously not going as planned, but it was only going to get worse if they did not move passed their differences and work together. They were adults, adults with a history of somewhat heated exchanges and rocky interactions, but adults all the same. Thousands of miles from home they could put their differences aside and drive the reasonably short distance together. She needed to stop worrying, he was being nice enough, and they could get through this and move on without it affecting their lives. Sharon pulled her hair up into a loose bun and turned to the shower.

Downstairs Andy joined some of their fellow travelers in the small dining area adjacent to the lobby. The hotel had a complimentary breakfast set up with bagels, muffins, cereals, and fruit, with coffee, milk, and assorted juices. He snagged a couple bagels and popped them into the toaster before he turned to the lobby television. The meteorologist on the screen was flipping through viewer images of downed tree limbs and snow covered cars. Andy stepped closer to hear the expected weather issues for the day.

"The initial storm has blown through," explained the man on the screen, "but do not expect any miracles for your travel this Christmas Eve. With temperatures still well below freezing, and another wave of lighter precipitation rolling into the area mid afternoon, conditions are not expected to improve greatly. Road crews are out clearing the main snow routes. However, side streets, along with bridges and off ramps, could still be slick and hazardous. If you do not have to get out in this, please stay home."

Andy rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Wonderful," he muttered under his breath. He glanced around the room; the other guests were having similar reactions. A ' _pop_ ' behind him had him returning to the breakfast prep, still trying to decide on the best plan for the day. Yes, the best plan was to stay put, but if they could make it a little farther out before the lighter round moved in, maybe the Christmas trip would not be totally wasted. Even if they had to travel slow and make frequent stops it was not completely crazy to imagine that they could not make it to the city by the end of the day. Once they got out of this area the weather was not supposed to be as bad. Plus, even if it did turn they were not exactly stranded in the middle of nowhere. There were plenty of places along the route to stop in if needed.

Thinking through the pros and cons of traveling versus staying Andy continued to prepare food for breakfast and snag a couple pieces of fruit for the drive. With full hands he headed back upstairs to get ready for the rest of the day. When he reentered the room Sharon was dressed and sitting on the side of the bed closing up her suitcase.

She looked up when the door clicked open to see Andy lifting a tray slightly into the air. "Breakfast," he smiled, "I grabbed a few different options for today." He placed the tray on the bed and handed her one of the coffees, "I was not sure how you took your coffee, but there is a small deal of creamer on the tray and a couple packets of sugar."

"Thank you," Sharon hummed somewhat surprised at the gesture. "I was going to go down and grab something after I finished getting ready." She glanced down to the tray, "but thank you."

Andy shrugged, "There were quite a few people down there. I would have hated for the hotel to run out of food before you had the chance to get down there. I'm not sure if we will find anything on the road. Most places probably won't be opening anytime soon. So, breakfast in bed, Captain."

She smirked at the remark, but took a sip of coffee instead of acknowledging his lighthearted joke. "So, it is still going to be bad then?" Sharon wondered bringing the cup down between both of her hands. "I was hoping for good news."

"Well, good news is that it is stopping for now," he shrugged. "Bad news is that there will only be a small window before the next one blows through. The roads are not going to be magically improved, but maybe the break and the daylight could allow us to get out of here."

Sharon nodded, "Hopefully," before setting her cup on the nightstand and reaching down to pull on her boots.

"Are those all your have?" Andy gestured to her legs.

Confused, Sharon turned to him, "What do you mean all I have? They're just riding boots."

"Riding boots?" Andy probed, "Were you planning on horseback riding through Central Park or something? Those definitely won't keep you warm out there in this."

Sharon rolled her eyes, "They're boots, Andy. I packed for a few days in New York with my daughter. As surprising as it may seem, I had not planned on being stuck out in the coastal tundra."

"Well," Andy shrugged, "those definitely won't keep you warm if we get stuck out in this. What were you planning on wearing in the City? You were prepared for it to at least be cold, right?"

"It's not like I am destitute. I packed light because it was just a short trip in order to spend Christmas with my daughter. If it got too cold, my plan was to borrow something from my her." She eyed him hesitantly, "Besides, I do not really think you need to be criticizing my packing skills. It is what it is at this point, remember? The forecasters did not predict a storm of this magnitude, and even if they had I still would have tried to get out here for Christmas with Emily. She could not come to me, so I was not going to miss the opportunity to come to her."

Andy shrugged again and walked to suitcase over on his side of the bed, "Okay, but here." He tossed her a pair of warmer socks. "You can borrow these if you want. I know we are going to be in the car, but your feet could still get cold. I may not know you that well, but from the last twelve hours or so I can guess you may enjoy the extra heat source."

The socks fell onto the bed beside her. Sharon eyed them somewhat cautiously before picking them up. He was right, the boots were not warm, and if she were being honest her hands and feet were always a little cold. Reluctantly she pulled the socks over her feet before tugging on her boots and returning to her coffee. Andy watched silently from the other side of the room while he continued to zip up his suitcase and put on his own shoes.

After he was finished with his task he walked back over to the bed and picked up a bagel. "So," he sighed, "back to the weather and the drive." Sharon hummed in acknowledgement and looked up to meet his eyes as he continued. Andy gestured to the scene outside, "Like I said, there is a window of lighter snow. We could warm up the car and see how far we get now, or we could wait it out here another day and hope for clearer roads and warmer weather tomorrow."

Sharon pursed her lips together in consideration. The visit with Emily was already going go be cut short, and while she did not want to do anything stupid, she also did not want to miss Christmas completely. Her daughter had told her to take care and to take her time, but it was also only a couple more hours away. Once they got back on the interstate the travel conditions should be more manageable. "Well," she deliberated. "I do not think we should put ourselves into a dangerous situation, but I also think we could make it. You said they were working to clear the road. I think it is worth it to try. Worst case scenario is we have to pull over and wait it out for a bit, right?"

"Right," Andy confirmed thankful that she was willing to take a chance on getting out of there. "Besides, it is mostly over. The car has all wheel drive and we can take our time."

Sharon nodded, "Okay. Let's try then. I mean it's either a few hours stuck in the car together or another day holed up in this hotel."

"Yeah," Andy shuttered and sighed sarcastically. "Option two sounds awful. Another day trapped with Raydor? Not my idea of a happy holiday."

She smirked and rolled her eyes, "Ha-ha, very funny, Flynn." Sharon reached out and picked up a piece of fruit, "So, should we wait a little longer or go ahead and try our luck?"

"I say we finish breakfast and then head out." He took a bite of his bagel. "I will go back downstairs and warm up the car. I guess we are lucky to have gotten in when we did. Some of the other cars are completely buried underneath the snow. As it is, ours is only slightly buried and it won't take long to brush off the powder. I'll start the car while you're checking out and then bring it back around to the front, deal?"

Sharon nodded, "Deal."


	5. Chapter 5

**A Little Snow Chapter 5**

Almost an hour later they were finally able to get back on the road. It had taken a good half hour to get the car warmed up and the snow cleared off the hood and from around the area. Checking out of the hotel had been easy enough, and they had made sure to triple check that they had everything they needed if they got stuck en route. The snowploughs had been out, so the worst parts of the road were the turns and edges where the snow had piled and refrozen into thick rivets. The tires crunched through the iced over tire marks and walls of snow, but as they had hoped the main roads were not as bad; slow, but not treacherous.

"Well," Andy reasoned flipping on the blinker to merge onto the mostly deserted I-95. "That didn't take too terribly long to get out of there. Only a couple hundred miles to go."

Sharon nodded with her eyes staring out the front window. "Only," she sighed rubbing her hands together and rolling her head to the side. "I am glad we are at least moving. It would have been worse to wait it out. Especially if for some reason they were wrong and it didn't end up snowing more."

"True," he agreed with his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "I mean they were a little off on the impact of this first one. Maybe the same will be the case this time. We could use a couple wrong predictions right now. Even on the best days this is not my favorite drive."

"Have you made this drive before?"

Andy turned his head in her direction and shrugged, "Once or twice." When Sharon raised an eyebrow in question he explained, "I think I mentioned I'm from this part of the world?"

"I think I had read that before, but not Virginia," she shrugged thinking back to her knowledge of his file. She pursed her lips together in thought, "Somewhere in New York though?"

Andy nodded, "Yes, not Virginia, but have you ever heard of a vacation?" He chuckled lightly, "We may not have had a lot, but we did travel to the nation's capital once or twice as kids. Even as an adult as well."

"But the drive recently? How would you have found the time to fly across the country and then make the drive all on your vacation time?" Sharon probed in an attempt to overshadow any unintended insult he could have heard in her comment. "Surely you don't usually drive. The distance is not that bad, but the time on the road would take away from the weekend. It always takes longer with traffic and construction areas."

Andy shrugged, "When we were kids the drive was easier, our parents loaded us up a couple time to head down the coast to the beach. We stopped in Washington a couple years as part of the road trip. Even now I'm not too keen on flying. If I can get away with driving, I will. When my sister was sick a couple summers ago we took some time to relive a few of our favorite childhood memories. The road trip to DC was one of them; cherry blossoms, museums, monuments, and all of that you know history stuff," he smirked lightheartedly.

"I see," Sharon hummed. She took a moment to process all of the information before asking, "Did you say your sister was ill? Is this the same one you are visiting this year?"

Andy drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel for a moment, "Yes, she was." He rolled his head in her direction, "Thyroid cancer. She recovered, but she has some other things going on now. I wanted to visit for the holidays. Family is important."

"Yes," Sharon gave him a sympathetic smile, "it is." Andy turned his head back to face the road. She studied him for a moment before continuing. "Is she doing all right now? I mean the other things, are they bad?"

Andy pressed his lips together for a moment to consider the question. "They aren't great, but she's doing all right. She's a very strong and tough woman, this setback won't hold her back for long."

"That's good," Sharon smiled in return. "So, you two are close?"

Still looking out the front window he smiled, "Yeah I mean it's just the two of us. Sure, I have my kids, but they don't always want me around." He paused for a moment before focusing again on his sister. "Liv and I were close growing up, but more so in the last few years. You know a little bit about my past from work… well Liv was there when things really hit rock bottom. She was there to yell at me to suck it up and grow up." He chuckled lightly at the memory, "Yeah, she's a bit terrifying when she wants to be, but the perfect mix I needed to look at my life – when I was ready to see it - and to make a change. I am lucky to have her, even if we still can argue like nobody's business, we're family."

"It's good you have her," Sharon hummed thoughtfully. "And it sounds like she is lucky to have you as well. I mean with any health issues and everything. I know if my sisters were sick I would be out there straight away, and they would as well. It's difficult when we get older and spread out across the country, but we are still there for one another. No matter what."

Andy nodded, "So, where is your family this Christmas? You said you were just spending it with your daughter?"

"Yes," Sharon smiled through the word. "I am spending it over here with Emily. My son is studying abroad, and the rest of my family is together at my parent's time-share in Utah. We usually go there, but this year Emily needed to stay in the city for holiday. You see she is a dancer and the season does not allow for her to have a long enough break to get away. Her roommates are out though, so I am staying with her there. A cozy little Christmas, or at least that was the plan."

"A dancer?" Andy drawled a little unsure if he had heard her correctly.

"Yes," Sharon turned to him still smiling, but the smile quickly dissolved into a laugh when she noticed his confused expression. She swatted him on the arm and stressed explained, "Ballet, Andy, my daughter is a ballet dancer."

He smiled and rubbed his arm where she had hit him, "Oh, well, that makes more sense. Not that I was going to judge or anything, I mean if it was her passion." He chuckled along with Sharon momentarily forgetting about the stress of anxiety of the last day, "Sorry."

Sharon calmed her breathing and shrugged, "Don't be. I mean like you said, if it was her passion I would support it... but in this case her passion is ballet and I have done and am doing everything in my power to help her achieve her goals. So, this year that entails spending Christmas in New York. Although, in all honesty it is not a bad place to be for Christmas.; the ice skating, the pop-up shops in Union Square and Bryant Square, the tree at Rockefeller Center, and then of course a peaceful evening walk through Central Park with the lights of the city giving it a Christmassy glow, the smell of vendors roasting chestnuts on their carts..." her voice trailed as her mind drifted to other holiday scenes in the city.

Andy turned his head to the side to see her smiling softly at nothing in particular. "So, you've spent a Christmas in the city before?"

Sharon jostled her head slightly to bring herself out back to the conversation. She turned her head in his direction and repeated his earlier sentiment, "Once or twice." She nodded as a clarification, "I'm from this part of the world as well."

"Really?" Andy eyed her with suspicion.

"Well, not New York City, but just a couple hours away. We used to come to the city every few years around Christmas time. It was a little different then, but still a pretty magical place. Especially when we were old enough to go to a show or the ballet." Sharon's eyes lit up as she continued to recall childhood memories. "The Nutcracker was probably my favorite tradition, whether it was seeing it here or back home. It does not matter how many times I have seen it, something about the bum b-b-b-bum bum bum bum bum, is just..." she turned to Andy and stopped short, slightly embarrassed at how she had allowed her story to wander. At his subtle smirk she sat back in her chair. "Sorry," she sighed, "that was a lot of information all at once."

Andy smiled, "No, go on. I mean I enjoy the holiday and that music? Iconic. But I maybe have never enjoyed Christmas to that extent. It sounds like it may possibly by your favorite." He shrugged playfully, "Possibly."

Sharon rolled her eyes, "You will definitely start believing in Christmas miracles after what I am about to say..."

"Why? What's wrong?" Andy wondered, unsure of her meaning.

She laughed lightly, "Because I am about to tell you that you are right, again. It may possibly be my favorite time of year. What is that three times in one day? Definitely a miracle."

"Ha-ha very funny, Raydor," Andy drawled before breaking his insulted facade and chuckling along with her. "But if we are keeping score then I will definitely take it. December 24, Sharon admits Andy is right about everything."

"Don't get too ahead of yourself on that one, Flynn. We still have a ways to go."

Andy dipped his head in her direction. "Indeed," before he lifted the left side of his mouth into a half grin. "But I think I'll take my chances with the assumption. Feeling lucky today." She gave him an, o _h really look_ , that had him amending his statement, "Well, travel delays aside."

"We'll see," Sharon hummed.

The trip continued on in mostly comfortable silence. The drive was slow, but not especially hazardous, just light snow falling over the now icy roads. Sharon was about to ask how they were on gas when Andy's cell phone rang. He fumbled with it for a moment before he was able to flip it open and press _talk_. Placing the phone between his ear and shoulder he answered, "Flynn."

On the other side of the line Sharon could barely make out the gruff voice of his partner, "Oh he answers. My lord I was starting to wonder if you had driven into a ditch or something. I know the planes got rerouted from the storm, but -"

"Ah, that's nice Provenza," Andy interrupted the other man and tilted his eyes toward Sharon as he emphasized the name. She nodded silently in understanding as he continued, "I didn't know you were worried about me. Melts my heart to hear you care."

"Care?" The other man repeated. "I don't care, but I also don't want to have to break in a new partner. You're not perfect, but you'll do." Andy chuckled into the phone as Provenza continued, "No, Flynn, I heard about the delay. Then knowing you I had a feeling you would try to make it anyway. So, you probably rented a car and if you didn't end up in a ditch, you had to admit defeat and pull over somewhere for the evening."

Andy sighed, "We didn't end up in a ditch."

"We?" Provenza interjected skeptically, "Who is we? You didn't have your sister meet you in DC did you?"

Andy closed his eyes briefly and sighed, "No. I meant we as in me and, um, the car." He cut his eyes over to Sharon who was attempting to listen in, "No I did not end up in a ditch. I stopped off at a hotel. Just got back on the road a little while ago. It's slow, but I should be in the city mid afternoon."

"Good," Provenza drawled somewhat suspiciously, "like I said, would hate to have to train someone new."

Andy rolled his eyes, "Yeah, that would be tragic. I would hate for you to have to undergo that hardship."

"Well," Provenza continued as if his partner had not spoken, "Drive safe, don't be an idiot, and call me when you get in."

Andy smirked, "Okay, Mom, will do."

On the other side of the line Provenza huffed, "Not funny, Flynn. Talk to you soon."

"Yeah, I'll call you later," Andy acknowledged before he clicked off call.

When he placed the phone down on the console between them Sharon glanced over, "We? You've been a cop for how many years and you almost blow the whole 'we somehow got ourselves stuck together' right away." She leaned back in her chair, " _We_ would never hear the end of this ridiculous thing. I can only imagine."

"Still, not the plan," Andy agreed. "It isn't worth the headache to explain that I thought it would be a nice gesture. Holiday spirit and all."

Sharon cut her eyes at him skeptically, "Of course. It's never too late to be kind, I suppose. Even though I would have been fine on my own."

"I know you would have been," he nodded. "It is nice though to not travel alone, since it has been rather slow."

Sharon's mouth formed into a soft smile, "I guess it could always be worse."

"Yeah," Andy smirked in return, "it could have been Provenza flying out to meet someone."

Sharon chuckled lightly at the thought, "Well, I am sure he would have avoided me at the airport, so this would never have had a chance to happen."

"Like you were going to avoid me?"

"I wasn't going to avoid you exactly," Sharon lamented. "I was really just trying to avoid an awkward situation. You are not exactly the most predictable person to run into, especially if when you plans are interrupted."

"Yeah, I'm full of surprises," he joked. "How is that working out for you?"

She raised an eyebrow in his direction, "The jury is still out."

"Good to know," he teased with his eyes on the road. He leaned forward and squinted his eyes out ahead, "Does that look recent?" Andy nodded to a car on the side of the road about one hundred yards ahead.

Sharon leaned forward in her seat, "I think so, it looks like the lights may be on. It's hard to tell."

Andy slowly directed their vehicle to the side of the road, "Guess we can check it out."

She rubbed her hands together as a way to prepare for the interaction. Peering though the window she worried, "Hopefully it is not anything too serious. It is not that best place to wait out the weather, or to hope for someone to pass by." Sharon gestured her head toward the chunks of ice on the shoulder of the highway, "Be careful pulling over, we don't want to get stuck either."

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, because that's exactly what I want to tell Provenza when I call him back, we got stuck in a ditch."

"Well," Sharon shrugged, "then you better be careful and pay attention then."

Andy pressed his lips together in frustration as he silently pulled their car up beside the other one.


	6. A Stop

Andy pulled the car to the side of the road and shifted it into park. Learning forward he gestured to the other vehicles front tire, "It looks like they must have hit a rough patch of ice. They probably lost control back there just passed the bridge, but see the wheel? That does not look good, there is no way they are getting out of that." The car's tire was rotated at a ninety-degree angle and the wheelbase was bent in around the rim, otherwise the car was undamaged.

"At least they lost control over here rather than a few yards back," Sharon sighed leaning forward to look into the rear view mirror. The tire tracks were barely noticeable under the still falling snow. "They could have slid further down the embankment after the bridge we just crossed. We would have driven right by and never seen them."

Andy nodded as he took off his seatbelt, "Yes, I guess it's their lucky day."

"Indeed," she hummed, rolling her eyes at the phrase and facing forward again in her seat.

Andy unbuckled his seatbelt and reached into the backseat for a pair of gloves. "I'll go check on them." He pulled on his gloves and tucked his phone into his pocket. When Sharon shifted forward and zipped her coat up to her chin he glanced over, "You should stay in the car." Andy opened his door and shuttered slightly against the gust of wind that tugged on the doorframe. "There is no need for both of us to get out in this if we don't have to. Besides, I have better shoes for traction and a warmer coat. The idea is to help them, not get stuck ourselves." Andy got out of the car and braced himself to walk around the front of the car.

In her seat Sharon rolled her eyes. Ignoring his reasoning she unbuckled her seatbelt to get out and help the other car. As she reached to open her door she heard a thud and the sound of something large swiping across the hood of the car. She looked up quickly to see that Andy had slipped on the icy road. Holding back a smirk at the fact that he was the one to fall, Sharon got out of the car. Carefully she opened the door and slowly glided along her side of the car to make sure she did not slip as well. "What was that about better traction? Not needing help ourselves?" She mocked standing firmly above his prone position in the snow. "It seems to me, Lieutenant, that you have a strange habit for falling… perhaps you should have let me handle it after all, hmm?"

Still on his back Andy rolled his eyes, "Ha-ha, very funny, Captain." He laid there for a couple seconds going over a mental inventory of his body. Once he was sure it was just his pride that was injured he slowly moved to sit up. "And I don't have a habit for falling. Last time I happened to fall, I was stabbed, so not really my fault… this time I may have been trying to walk too quickly to check on and to help the people stranded on the side of the road. Excuse me for caring."

Sharon raised an eyebrow in his direction and reached down to help him up, "Sure, that's what it is then. You were caring so much that you almost injured yourself in the process." Once he was standing, he brushed the show off of his clothes and nodded toward the other car.

The driver of the vehicle noticed the fall and opened his door to call out, "Are you two all right?"

"We were going to ask you the same thing," Sharon replied as she walked gingerly across the iced over tire tracks. Alongside the car, she pulled her jacket tighter and leaned forward to use the door as a shield against the wind. "Do you all need any help?"

The man shook his head, "I don't think so, ma'am. We were able to get a call out for a tow truck. They said it might be a while before they could get someone out this way. We are at least on the list."

"How long is a while?" Andy asked trooping up next to Sharon and leaning against the open door frame. "It's pretty cold to have to sit on the side of the road, even if your heater is on in the car."

The other man shrugged and looked around, "I know, sir, but they didn't give us a solid time frame; busy day for them. They said they would be out here as soon as they could."

"It's our fault for trying to make the drive," said the other person with a somewhat bitter tone. The young woman in the passenger seat looked over to the driver and smirked drily. "I mean what was it you said to me this morning? _It's just a little snow_." The man turned in his seat and gave the young woman an unimpressed look. She leaned further forward to make eye contact with Sharon and then Andy, "I'm sorry you two had to stop, _my brother_ over here thought it was a good idea to start the drive first thing this morning... and then an even better idea to assume the road conditions were not _that_ bad and that he could go close to the speed limit."

Sharon let out a soft laugh at the looks the two siblings exchanged, "It happens. You two are lucky you slid off here and not back there." She turned slightly with her arms wrapped around her body to give Andy a questioning glance, "Do you think we can spare a little time to get them to the next stop?" Andy nodded in agreement and she returned her attention to the inside of the car, "I bet it would be warmer at a diner or something and you could call the tow company to let them know where you are. Or if you're not going too much farther we could drop you somewhere. I'm not sure how you feel about riding with strangers... we are police officers if that makes you feel any better about getting into our car. Not local ones though, but I mean we can help you out. My name is Sharon and this is Andy."

"I don't want to inconvenience you guys. It's Christmas and I am sure you have plans. Plus, it's my fault for getting us stuck," Jeff reasoned. "A truck should be out here soon. Hannah and I will be fine."

Andy shook his head, "It's not an inconvenience. Like you said, it's Christmas, you shouldn't be out here in this. Did you call your family to tell them where you were and what was going on?"

The younger woman leaned forward again, "No, because someone didn't want dad to yell at him for wrecking the car, right Jeff?" Her brother pressed his lips together in an effort to hold back his frustration, but said nothing.

Sharon laughed again, "I don't want to tell you what to do, but it may not be a bad idea to call and let them know that you two are safe, and that you may be a little late." Hannah swatted her brother's shoulder with an, ' _I told you so_ ,' look as Sharon continued. "In the mean time why don't you two grab your things? You can make your calls while we drive. It's too cold to be sitting here on the side of the road."

The siblings nodded and gathered their bags to change cars. Andy helped carry the small box of gifts from the backseat while they moved their things into the back of the rental car. As he walked back around the front of their car Andy glanced down and saw his phone tucked into a pocket of snow next to where he had fallen earlier. He grumbled to himself and bent down to pick it up. Noticing his movement Sharon stepped around her open door and called over the wind, "Is that your phone?"

Andy glanced up with a pained expression, "Yeah, but I am not going to check it right now." He took a breath to control his sudden flash of irritation, "It won't do me any good to worry over it at the moment. You have yours if we need to call anyone in the near future. I will check it after we get these two situated." Somewhat surprised at his mostly calm reaction Sharon nodded and ducked into her seat.

Once everyone was situated in the car Andy looked up into the rear view mirror, "So, how far away from the house are you guys?"

"On a good day, our parents live about half an hour from here," Hannah gestured out the window. "I flew in last night so I could drive up with Jeff. I'm sure we can call and have someone meet us up ahead. That way we can also arrange for a tow truck to get the car somewhere closer to the house. My parents would probably rather it be at a shop nearby."

From behind the wheel Andy nodded, "That will be good. Call and let them know where you are now. Then we can stop off and wait for someone to drive in to get you. It's not ideal to have more people out on the road, but if you were my kids I would not want you to sit out anywhere for too long." He shrugged, "Even if you are adults, speaking as a parent, I would worry. Always."

Jeff pulled out his phone and called his father. After assuring him that he and his sister were all right they decided to meet at a truck stop and diner a few miles away.

"How long were you two waiting?" Sharon asked after the young man retuned his phone to his pocket.

"Not long," Jeff shrugged before his sister nudged him again. "Well," he amended rubbing his side, "maybe like an hour, or two."

Sharon let out an uneasy breath. She knew that if these were her children she would have a few words to say to them about being safe and knowing when to call her. However, since they were not her children, she held back. Instead she turned in her seat to face them, "Two hours? I am really glad we drove by. That's quite a long time to be sitting and waiting out here on the side of the road. I'm sure you are tired, or at least hungry. I don't have much, but maybe something?"

Jeff and Hannah looked at each other before Hannah turned back to Sharon. The young woman shrugged, "I mean we may be a little hungry…" Sharon smiled and turned back around. Leaning forward she dug a small plastic container out of the tote bag sitting on the floorboard by her feet.

"What are those?" Andy wondered momentarily taking his eyes off the road to study the container.

Ignoring his curious gaze, Sharon turned to the backseat and lifted the lid. "They're Christmas cookies," she offered holding the box in front of the others.

"Where have you been hiding those?" Andy droned, "I'm hungry too."

She looked at Jeff and Hannah and rolled her eyes playfully before she answered, "Well, they aren't for you, Andy. I was saving them for Emily. They are a tradition and a surprise for her."

Hannah sat forward and took a cookie from the box, "Emily? Is she your daughter? Are you two driving north to spend Christmas with her? I'm so sorry my brother and I are keeping you two from your family."

Sharon gave the girl a gentle smile. "It will be all right. I'll make it up to her. But, yes, Emily is my daughter," Sharon explained. "I'm going to visit her for Christmas."

Jeff took a bite of his cookie and gestured between Sharon and Andy. "Just your daughter? Your visit? You two aren't, um," he mumbled as he chewed, "together?"

In unison both Sharon and Andy clarified, "No, not..." Hearing him beside her Sharon shot him an awkward shrug before returning to face the others. "No, we aren't _together_. We are just, um, well, we do work together, I guess, but um, no we are not spending the holiday together. At least that was not our plan." She turned back around in her seat and snapped the lid on the container to return the cookies to her bag.

"Yeah," Andy shrugged, "we are just friends."

At the word _friends_ Sharon furrowed her eyebrows slightly and zipped the bag. She returned her attention to the backseat and explained, "Yes, I guess, I mean mostly though we work together. We just happened to be on the same flight out of Los Angeles yesterday. That flight then got diverted, due to the weather, so we decided to drive the rest of the way."

"Oh," Hannah reasoned, "well that was lucky for you two then. I mean that you were able to travel together. That makes the trip a little easier, especially in this weather."

Andy shrugged, "You could call it lucky, maybe. Of course the real luck will be finally getting to New York. It's been a long trip full of travel inconveniences and ridiculous coincidences."

In the passenger seat, Sharon nodded, "It will be nice to finally get in to the city, but we will wait with you guys until your father is able to pick you up. It isn't a bad time for us to stop either."

"Yeah," Andy mumbled, "especially since someone was hiding snacks since breakfast."

Facing the front window Sharon smirked to herself at the comment, but said nothing more. The group road in silence for the next few miles each watching as lighter snowflakes continued to fall around them. By the time they reached the exit the snow seemed to be almost over, but it was still gusty and overcast outside.

When they pulled into the parking lot Andy dropped the others off at the door so he could top off the gas tank. Standing by the pump he tucked his hands into his pockets and felt his phone. Remembering the potential damaged he decided to go ahead and check the device. While they drove it had both warmed up and dried off in his pocket, but it was not powering on. He could not tell if it was simply a depleted battery, or completely damaged. Resolving to charge it when he could, he tucked it back into his pocket and drove the car back over to the diner and parked.

Inside Sharon, Jeff, and Hannah were seated at a booth by the window. There was one other table taking a break from the conditions, otherwise the restaurant was empty.

"I ordered coffees for everyone," Sharon acknowledged as Andy slid into the booth beside her. She slid his mug closer to him with a soft smile.

"Sounds great," he nodded taking off his gloves. He looked across the table to the siblings, "Do you two know if your parents are close?"

Jeff pointed to his phone on the table, "Dad called as we walked in. They were about ten minutes away. Thank you guys again for taking the time to help us."

"Yes," Hannah interjected, "Thank you so much. I do not think I could have sat in that car much longer. Sure it was cold, but my god it was boring."

Sharon laughed, "I can only imagine, but you two do not need to keep thanking us. We could not have let you sit out there in this… Although, maybe next time you are waiting hours for a tow truck you should go ahead and let someone else know as well."

Jeff nodded his head, "Yeah, not my best decision today."

"Not your worst either," Hannah teased. "I mean going sixty in the snow would probably be where you really went wrong." Jeff turned and gave her a sarcastic smirk, but once again held back from sniping at his sister in front of the others.

Across the table Sharon shook her head at their banter and took a sip of her coffee.

"You two remind me of my kids," Andy hummed as he looked out the window. "They are always making fun of each other."

Hannah reached for her mug, "Are you traveling to the city to see your kids as well, Andy?"

Andy returned his eyes to the table, "No. They are spending it with their mother. I am visiting my sister up here this year."

Noting a bit of sadness to his tone, Sharon worried her teeth over her bottom lip and decided to change the subject. "So, Hannah, you said you flew in?"

"Yes," the young woman responded excitedly. "I am a freshman at Emory. So, I flew up here to meet Jeff. I thought it would be a fun way to spend some time together. The weather may be annoying, but at least this whole ordeal something else to talk about after the break. My friends will love this one - How Jeff thought the laws of physics did not apply to him." She laughed to herself at the idea.

Jeff pushed his shoulder into hers and whispered, "Stop, Hannah. It's not funny, okay?"

"I think it is," his sister replied still smirking. "Don't worry, they already think you're weird. This won't change a thing."

He bumped her again, before he lifted his head to a sound at the diner front door. A man and woman walked in taking off their gloves and looking around. Hannah followed his gaze and jumped up from the table. She skipped to the front door to greet the new arrivals. "Hi Mom!" She exclaimed wrapping her arms around the woman before turning to the man, "Dad! Merry Christmas!"

The man pulled his daughter in a quick hug before stepping back, "I don't know how Merry it is at the moment. You two are very fortunate that it's Christmas. I mean driving so recklessly in these conditions…?"

"Well," Hannah began, "at least we are safe now, that is the important part. Let's focus on that." She reached for each of their parents' hands and pulled them to the table. "Mom, Dad, this is Andy and Sharon they're on their way to New York. Andy and Sharon, meet our parents, Mike and Theresa."

Theresa leaned forward, "Thank you for helping the kids. This whole situation could have been quite horrifying. Truly, thank you."

"It is not a problem at all," Sharon assured the woman. "We were headed this direction anyway, barely a set back."

"Well," Mike stepped in, "still we appreciate it. Now, I don't want to keep you two from your drive any longer. The snow has at least let up. You should be able to make decent time the rest of the way north."

Andy turned to look out the window, "Yes, maybe we will finally catch a break."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you once again for your feedback and follows. I appreciate all you for following along with this adventure. I hope you all have an amazing weekend!


	7. Chapter 7

It was just after midday when they were able to get back out on the road. They had chatted with the other family for a few moments while they finished their coffees, but ultimately both groups were eager to get back to their drives. With the snow slowing over the last hour visibility had begun to improve, and more cars had decided to venture out onto the highway. There was not a significant number of new travelers, but enough to make the road seem less remote; like they were getting closer to civilization. The other cars, along with the road crews, also helped to break up the snow and ice on the roads.

"At this rate we may actually make it at some point today," Andy observed as he slowly switched lanes to allow for another vehicle to merge onto the road. "I was beginning to doubt that we would even get this far. Although, I am glad we were able to help those kids. Plus, it looks like it was a good time to break and let the ground heat up some more."

Sharon nodded, "The stop was worth it in more ways than one. Even if it takes us the rest of the day, at least their Christmas was saved. I can only imagine how terrified their parents would have been at this point. I know that Jeff was nervous about getting into trouble, but," she shook her head, "that decision was not the best one he could have made. Hopefully both of them have learned there comes a time when you need to ask for help."

"I am sure they figured it out," Andy paused for a moment before he let out a quiet chuckle, "or at least they will have by now. Their parents did not seem all too thrilled with the situation. Frustration mixed with worry, the thrills of parenting," his voice trailed as his laughter died down. He stared out the front window for a moment before dropping his voice to a more serious tone, "You never stop worrying about your kids."

At the shift in his mood Sharon glanced over. He was still watching the road ahead, but an element of sadness had taken over his features. She pressed her lips together to consider how to reply. She was used to his witty remarks and snarky retorts, but this vulnerability was somewhat unexpected and a bit difficult to know how to navigate. Without thinking she lifted her hand to reach for him, but stopped mid motion and returned her hands to her lap.

"That's true," she hummed facing forward again. "I don't think you ever stop worrying." She turned to him and smiled in an effort to lighten the mood, "Even If they think they are simply too old to be parented. Our adult children make their own decisions, but at times it is difficult to sit back and watch all of those play out."

At the comment Andy let out a controlled breath, "They don't quite prepare you for that part. Plus, growing up I couldn't say I was any different. Guilty of some questionable decisions myself, and of course I always thought I knew best."

"Don't we all?" Sharon smiled in an attempt to keep the conversation lighter. "You just make the best of it I guess. As a parent you love your children, you help them make decisions, you try your hardest, and then you have to hope for the best."

"Yeah," he exhaled slowly, "of course as a parent you can make mistakes too…"

Sharon shifted her eyes to him and worried her teeth over her bottom lip. There was an element of pain to his voice still and she was not sure how to address it. They potentially still had a couple hours to spend together. As anxious as she had been about the trip last night, she was pleasantly surprised at how easy they had traveled together. She did not want to push him too far or to say the wrong thing now that they were so close to the end of their journey.

"Well," she offered, "I am sure that will improve soon. You have changed a lot over the years. You are a dedicated officer and very good at your job. I am sure that translates into the other aspects of your life. Sometimes it takes time for other people to notice, especially if they were, um," she paused for a moment, "hurt in any way. I am sure your children know you care and can see the changes you have made in your life. I know my children would appreciate a father who put forth any effort, I am sure yours will see that in time."

Andy drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel and continued to look out the front window. Of course she was right, but it was difficult to know how to respond. The road trip had evolved into some more than two coworkers driving a few hours together. At first thought it was a convenient way to not have to drive alone, but something about the trip was causing him to examine other parts of his life. The holidays can be difficult for a number of people, he was not any different, but it was still upsetting. It was upsetting to know that he had screwed up in the past and that it was not yet enough to earn a spot back at the table in the present. He knew it would take time, he was not going to give up, but it was difficult.

"Maybe someday," he finally replied, "but for now I will do what I can. I will call them in the morning and bring them something special back from the city." He shook off his more upsetting thoughts and turned to face her. He gave her a smile that did not quite reach his eyes, but was an attempt to change the mood. "At least I am able to spend the holiday with my sister."

Sharon smiled in return, "Definitely. We will make it in tonight in plenty of time to have a happy holiday." Andy nodded and turned back to face the road. "What do the two of you have planned? Any Christmas traditions?"

"Well, Liv had said something about visiting the _real_ Santa at Macy's," Andy grinned, "but I hope she was joking. She also said something about ice-skating afterward at the park across the street. I am not so sure about that plan."

She eyed him skeptically, "Me either. You can barely walk on the ice. I am not so sure skating sounds like your best idea to try skating on it."

"Touché," he smirked. "I am almost positive she was kidding, almost. We are planning on going out in the city though. Liv wants to go to mass and then walk by the shop windows on 5th to see the Christmas displays. I'm sure we will stop by the tree as well."

Sharon smiled, "That sounds lovely. We are going to mass as well. There is a church a few blocks away from her apartment. We haven't really discussed the plans after that, just idea. Is your sister meeting you?"

"That is what we discussed last night when I called her about the flight. There is a rental car return on 44th, it's not ideal," he shrugged, "but it should be easy enough. There's a subway station right around the corner, or if she meets me there then Rockefeller Center is just a few avenues over. After being cooped up on the plane and now in the car I am looking forward to the walk."

Sharon smiled, "Plus, after all of the snow? It will be so Christmassy. That's one positive for all of this: A white Christmas."

"Christmassy?" Andy grinned at the word. "There you go with the holiday spirit. It's kind of an infectious idea though. I am looking forward to it once we get there; making the most of the holiday."

Sharon nodded but was interrupted by her phone ringing. She leaned forward to dig it out of her purse. When she flipped the screen she smiled and lifted it to her ear, "Hey sweetheart." Andy tilted his head in her direction. She mouthed, _Emily_ , and he retuned his gaze to the road.

"Hi mom," Emily greeted in return. "How is the drive going?"

"It's going," Sharon replied. "I am not too far out at this point, maybe an hour or so to go. The conditions are improving."

On her end of the line Emily smiled, "I am so glad. I was worried when you had to stop off last night. Are you driving right now? I won't keep you, I just wanted to check."

Sharon glanced over at Andy, "Well, no I mean we are driving but I am not." She paused to think of how much to offer. Sharon did not want his partner to start the rumor mill at work, but there was no real need to hide the truth from her daughter. Especially since there was nothing to hide, travel woes aside they would be arriving in the city together in the very near future. "Did I mention someone from work was on the plane? We are driving together."

"Really?" Emily smirked, "I don't think you mentioned that."

"Well," Sharon shifted slightly in her seat, "it was convenient. He is meeting his sister in the city... "

"He?" Emily interrupted

Sharon rolled her eyes and continued speaking without acknowledging the question, "... and he can drop me off with you on the way to the rental return."

"Okay." Her daughter smirked, "I guess you don't want to talk about it right now... but I have some questions."

She pressed her lips together before she hummed, "I'll call you when we are closer. Love you."

"Love you too, be safe." Emily clicked off the call and Sharon returned her phone to her purse.

"So I am going to drop you off at her place?" Andy probed.

Sharon shrugged, "If it isn't too much to ask?"

"I think that can be arranged," he paused and gestured down to her phone. "Is it possible for me to borrow that to update Liv? My phone is not working at the moment."

She reached for her phone, but stopped as she registered the comment. "Why? What happened to your phone?"

Andy pursed his lips and sighed, "It may have slipped on the ice earlier. It is currently drying out beside the air vent in the backseat. It was not sitting in water or anything just the snow. I think the battery may have gotten too cold and needs to be recharged as soon as I get in, hopefully. I wanted to call and give Liv an update so she has a better idea of when to meet me."

Sharon laughed at his phone situation, "That is unfortunate, Mister better traction." She leaned forward to retrieve her phone.

He rolled his eyes, "I'll take the blame for that one, not the first time I have screwed up."

"True," Sharon teased, "and I am sure it will not be the last." She opened up her phone, "Do you want me to dial for you? You probably should still be focused on the road. I am not going to start going to point out the obvious or anything, but an accident free end to the trip would be ideal."

Andy smiled and gave her the number to dial. She handed him the phone and he tucked it between his ear and his shoulder so that both hands were still free to steer. When his sister's confused voice answered the unknown number Andy smiled, "Hey sis, sorry my phone is out of commission. I am borrowing Sharon's." He paused as his sister spoke. "Captain Sharon Raydor, from work. We were on the same flight and decided to drive in together," he explained. From her seat Sharon attempted to listen for the other woman's voice, but could only assume what she was saying based on Andy's side of the conversation. "Her daughter lives in the city. I think she said somewhere in the West Village or Chelsea. I'll drop her off and then head to the rental return…" his voice trailed as he listened intently to his sister. "Well, no, they have their own plans." He paused again and glanced over at Sharon. "I guess I can ask. Why don't I give you a call when we are closer? How much of a warning do you need?" Andy returned his eyes to the road, "Okay, I will call you…" He was interrupted again and amended his statement, "If it isn't a safe time to call then she will call you." Sharon smiled at what she assumed was his sister giving him the orders as he ended the call, "Yes, you too."

Andy handed the phone back to Sharon. "Liv says to tell you thank you for letting me borrow your phone, and thank you for putting up with me on the drive. Apparently I am not the best travel companion, especially when I am irritated and stressed."

Sharon smirked, "I think I like your sister. Of course we have both been stressed during this trip. I may not have been happy about the situation, but it has not been too bad. Perhaps slightly awkward and annoying, but I have dealt with your irritation and stress at work in the past. This trip has been a walk in the park in comparison to some of our previous encounters."

"I think I'll take that as a compliment. You have not been too awful to travel with either," Andy flipped on his blinker to follow the signs pointing toward Manhattan. "Like I said, it could have been worse. Either one of us could have been somehow stuck with Provenza in all of this."

She shuttered at the thought before laughing, "I can only imagine. Even though I am reasonably sure he would not have let that happen."

"True, he would have avoided the situation entirely and then more than likely wound up in a ditch." Andy shot her a crooked grin, "At least I recognized the dangers and did not stubbornly trudge ahead."

"Well, you have mellowed over the years," she hummed casually as she faced forward. "Thankfully. I guess everyone does grow up eventually."


	8. Invitations

**A Little Snow Chapter 8**

A little over an hour later they were finally nearing the end of the Jersey turnpike to crossover to Manhattan. Traffic has increased over the last hour, but they were still making decent time.

"Do you think we should take the Bridge or the Tunnel?" Andy wondered as they approached the lanes for the Lincoln Tunnel. "I know one is probably faster than the other, but really it always seems the one you don't choose is the quicker path. Traffic is unpredictable."

Sharon nodded, "It does not matter to me at this point. I just want to get there. Unless you have a problem with driving under the Hudson I would say just do that, it's right here. At this point I don't want to have to go too far out of the way."

"I prefer the tunnel to the Bridge, honestly, but I did not know how you felt about it. Everyone seems to have their own preferences for travel," he nodded directing the car into the right lane to exit.

She turned to him, "I just want to get there…. Are you afraid of heights or something?"

"Well, not exactly," he shrugged. "Bridges make me nervous though. I don't like getting stuck in the middle of them. It's the whole thing where you can feel the wind swinging it, and then all of the other cars weighing it down." He paused, "I know they build them with all of that in mind, but I am not ashamed to admit that I still get nervous."

Sharon smirked, "And tunneling under the water, under the weight of the River, is less nerve-wracking?"

"When you say it that way, no," he rolled his head toward her, "thanks for that image. Hopefully we can just breeze through and it won't be a recreation of that scene from _The Ten Commandments_."

"Always here to help," Sharon teased. When he merely smirked back at her she reached down for her phone. "Did you want to let your sister know you were close before we drive through?"

Facing forward again he nodded, "Yeah, um, maybe just send her a text. She may not always know how to reply to texts, but she will be able to read it and know when to leave. Plus, I don't want to lose the call if we get into the tunnel before she gives me the chance to speak."

Sharon smiled and typed out a quick message to his sister, "Okay, sent." She confirmed dropping the phone back into her lap. "So, you're plan is to drop me off and then hope your sister meets you at the car return?"

Andy furrowed his eyebrows, "What do you mean by hope? I think she is responsible enough to remember to pick me up. I may pester her some, but it's Christmas, she won't leave me stranded."

"No," Sharon grinned at the misunderstanding, "I was more referring to the fact that you do not have a phone. If she were running late, or for some reason you needed to update her, you would be out of luck."

He shrugged as he directed the car into the tunnel, "We used to survive without them, I am sure we will be fine. It may be one of the largest cities in the world, but it still has its pockets. We will be in the same general area, shouldn't be too difficult to find her."

Sharon leaned back in her seat and watched as the guiding lights on the tunnel above ticked by, "That's true. It is a big city, but it always fascinates me how you can still run into people you know all the way out here. Maybe it is the pockets thing you just mentioned, although I have never thought of it that way. Emily describes it as her neighborhood area feeling like a small town. She sees the same people over and over. Although, that doesn't quite explain how when I dropped her off at school a few years ago we ran into someone she had gone to high school with. Their family was on an end of the summer trip and it was just by chance that we were heading to Serendipity as they were leaving. It is a more touristy location, but it still had that whole 'small world' feel to it. I guess even in the largest cities you still have a decent chance of running into people."

"It does happen," Andy nodded. "So, I am sure I will find Liv even without a phone. Especially since we know to be looking for each other. It will be fine."

She nodded, "Okay, I just wanted to be sure everything was all right. As much as I want to get to Emily we could make a detour or something. We have made it this far, I would hate for it to be ruined by a miscommunication because you broke your phone en route."

He shook his head and held back a chuckle at her passive dig, "Noted. It should be fine. I can drop you off and your Christmas will be able to begin. I know you two have plans; I don't want them to be delayed any longer. Also, this way I can make sure Liv and I get going. I won't have the chance to drop my bag or anything, but it's not like I will be the only one in the city lugging around a suitcase. I packed light, it will be fine." Sharon hummed in acknowledgement as they continued the drive.

Fortunately the light traffic and turn of their luck continued as they drove through the tunnel and into the city. Without too much hassle they were able to exit and take 9th down toward 23rd. There were more cars on the street now, but not the gridlocked images of the movies. Traffic was moving along with only the occasional honk from an aggravated taxi driver. The snow was not as pretty now that the city had cleared off the roads and main sidewalks, but there was still a sparkle as the sun reflected off of the snow piles on the street corners.

"It's too bad we missed the roads being blanketed with snow through here," Sharon observed as she looked out the window. "It must have looked so empty, but kind of magical, right after it fell. Imagine how fun it would have been to walk right down the center of 5th Avenue without any cars around." Andy shrugged in his seat as he navigated around the other vehicles, but before he could think of anything to add her phone began to ring. Sharon glanced down and saw a ( _212)_ number pop up on the screen. "Liv," she said holding the phone out to Andy.

"Why don't you go ahead and answer it." He dipped his head toward the device, "maybe the conversation will be shorter that way. She won't spend half of it groaning about how long she is having to wait somewhere or something."

Sharon pursed her lips for a moment, but when the ringer went off again she answered, "Hello?"

"Hi, this must be the Captain," the other woman began without giving her any time to respond. "Did my brother drop you off yet, or did he not want to speak to me at the moment?"

She smiled and glanced over to Andy, "Not yet, he is driving at the moment. I can't speak to his motives though for having me answer." Andy turned his head to her and pressed his lips together wondering what his sister had said. Sharon simply nodded to him that it was nothing and continued speaking into the receiver, "Andy is about to drop me off at my daughter's apartment and then he will head back uptown to meet you."

"That sounds good then," Liv acknowledged with a hint of a smile to her voice. "So, are you and your daughter joining us this evening?"

Sharon furrowed her eyebrows at the question and glanced back over to Andy. His attention was directed at the road, but she thought he was holding his breath slightly in an attempt to listen in on the conversation. "I don't think so," Sharon's voice trailed as she attempted to answer the other woman. "We have plans to eat and go to Mass..."

"Well," Liv interrupted cheerily, "so do we. Why don't you two join us? As much as I love my brother it is always fun to have others around. I mean it could be my Christmas gift to you for putting up with him on the drive, as well as I'm sure at work. He is not always the easiest person to be around."

Sharon let out a knowing sigh at the statement, but was unsure of how to respond to the request. "Well," she exhaled, "I really don't want to interrupt your visit."

"I understand, but it is just dinner, my treat." Liv paused to allow the other woman to consider her offer.

She worried her teeth over her bottom lip for a moment. Everything was kind of up in the air at this point; it would not be the end of the world if they changed their plans. "I don't know. I guess I can ask my daughter when we get to her apartment."

"Perfect!" The other woman exclaimed. "I'll call and change the reservation. They may grumble, but it's Christmas Eve and I know the chef. I hope you two like Italian."

Sharon smiled softly at her excitement, "We do. I don't want to be a burden though, really we are fine."

"You are not a burden, trust me," Liv assured her. "I told Andy to say something, but I had a feeling he wouldn't. I'm glad I called when I did. Will you please let that darling brother of mine know that I am in the cab on the way to 44th? I will be waiting for him at the shop since he does not have a working phone at the moment." Sharon nodded, but before she could say anything more Liv hummed, "Who forgets to charge their phone in this kind of weather? Men."

Sharon smiled, "Indeed. He's lucky this is working out for him. Pay phones are never fun."

"Speaking of pay phones, can you make sure he has a quarter just in case?" His sister chuckled into the line, "Little Andrew does get himself into some awkward situations. I would hate for him to be stuck out in the city all alone."

Sharon laughed at the image his sister was painting, "I will do what I can."

"We will see you this evening. Bye Sharon," she replied.

Sharon grinned at the woman's assumption, "Perhaps. Merry Christmas, Liv," she offered as she hung up the phone and dropped it into her purse.

Andy flipped on the blinker to turn left. They were a block away from the apartment. "So," he probed, "my sister is on her way in?"

"She is," Sharon confirmed. "She will be there soon, and she wants me to make sure you have a quarter for the pay phone in case something happens to you during the drive."

Andy shook his head, "It is twenty blocks, that's just a mile. She must think she is so funny."

"Well, must run in the family then." Sharon shrugged, "she does know you better than anyone. Sounds like your sister just wants you to be prepared. Although, since your partner isn't here, I am assuming you will be able to at least get close without too much hassle."

Andy rolled his eyes at the tease, "It is always his fault, you know. Trouble follows him and I simply get caught in the crossfire."

Sharon hummed, but did not have anything else to offer on the subject. As they turned she sat forward in her seat, "There she is!" Sharon smiled as she pointed out the window. Standing on the curb up ahead, her daughter was waving excitedly as their car approached.

When Andy pulled over to the side, Sharon quickly opened her door. When she stood she was immediately wrapped in a hug, knocking her back slightly into the side of the car. "You made it!" Emily exclaimed holding her mother tight, "I knew you would, but still I am so happy that you're finally here."

Sharon held her daughter for a moment before leaning back, "I am. I would never let anything keep us apart, especially today." She brushed her lips against her daughter's forehead before tightening her hold once again. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart."

"Merry Christmas, Mom," Emily hummed in return. The sound of the driver's side door opening broke them apart. "And you must be the friend from work," Emily smiled stepping away from her mother.

"Guilty," Andy supplied, "although I think we have decided that friend is kind of a loose term." Andy walked around the front of the car and nodded to Emily, "Lieutenant Flynn, feel free to just call me Andy."

He winked at Sharon who rolled her eyes playfully, "Yes, I guess friend in the sense we have known each other for a few years and have now spent 24 hours trapped together on the road." She paused and offered a light smile, "Probably would not have used the term before, and even now I guess you could at least say, friendlier. Maybe he will at least stop thinking I am out to destroy the lives of all of my fellow officers. I would consider the trip a win if that were the case."

Emily laughed lightly, "Oh, so he's one of the bad ones?"

"What?" Andy exclaimed feigning offense, "The bad ones? What kind of nonsense have you been filling your daughter's head with Captain? We are the good guys." Despite his attempt to remain serious he grinned at Emily, "I'll have you know I have been cleared of every accusation, thank you very much."

Sharon glanced over to her daughter, a playful sparkle to her eye, "And there have been quite a few."

"I see," Emily reasoned, "well, maybe someday he will learn. Your rules are annoying, but if they keep people like him in line..."

"Oh God, there's two of them," Andy sighed moving to the other side of them to retrieve the luggage. "Mini Raydor, I will tell you what I tell the wicked lady over here... It is always my partner's fault. I am just there to make sure he does not completely lose it."

Confused Emily looked to her mother who shrugged, "So he says. In his defense, his partner is a grumpy sort of fellow, really dislikes me. Although, strangely enough he does not have as thick of a jacket as this one," she nodded toward Andy as he fumbled with the key fob. "So, this theory does not seem to hold."

Andy arched an eyebrow in her direction and shook his head to reiterate his point. "It's always his fault, Captain." He unlocked the lift gate and pulled her suitcase out from the back.

"Sure, Lieutenant," she smirked reaching for the handle. "Thank you."

Emily stood at the other side of her mother watching the exchange. It was only a short conversation, but they were kind of entertaining. Especially, since she rarely met anyone from the office, or at least any of her mother's non-friends. Emily took a step toward the car and gestured to the backseat, "Do you have anything else in the car, Mom?"

Sharon turned to her daughter, "My travel tote is in the backseat." When Emily opened the door Sharon smiled, "and there may be something in there for you."

"Yeah," Andy chuckled, "and she was not about to share."

"Cookies!" Emily exclaimed, "It is officially Christmas." She opened the container and immediately took a bite of one of the tree shaped treats. "Mm, my favorite." Emily shouldered the bag and stood back on the curb. "The wicked lady didn't let you have one, Andy?"

He looked over at Sharon and smiled, "She was saving them for someone special... but I am sure she couldn't deny me one if that person wanted to share."

Emily shrugged lightly and took another bite, "If that person wanted to share." When Andy's jaw dropped Emily laughed and held the box to him, "Relax. You can have one, I suppose."

In between them Sharon rolled her eyes. When Andy did not immediately move to take a cookie, she nodded to him, "Oh come on Andy. Here, have a cookie." She reached for one cookie and handed it to him. "Well, I guess you may want to go ahead and get going. Liv will start blowing up my phone if you're not there soon. It sounds like she might be a little worried about your ability to make it alone."

"You're leaving?" Emily asked, swallowing her bite. "Would you like to -."

Interrupting her daughter's question, Sharon wrapped her arm around Emily's shoulders and pulled her into a side hug, "Andy is meeting his sister up near Times Square. They have Christmas plans already. Liv did say something about dinner, but let me get my stuff upstairs and we can discuss the evening."

"Is that what you two were talking about?" Andy sighed, "I'm sorry, Sharon. She gets a little excited about things. You guys don't have to join us. Don't feel any pressure." Andy paused and nodded to the car, "I should probably head out before she really does begin to worry. It was nice to meet you Emily." He shot a playful glance in Sharon's direction before he emphasized, "Thank you for letting me have one of your cookies."

Feeling like there was something more to say, but not wanting to push too hard, Emily nodded, "You're welcome. Merry Christmas, Andy." When Andy reached his door and folded himself back into the car Emily turned to her mother, "So, he seems fun. What would be so wrong with spending Christmas together?"

 _Fun_ , Sharon turned to the building, "Let me change, I want to get out of these clothes and run freshen up a bit. It has been a long day. We can sit down and talk about our plans when I feel a little more human, hm?"

"Okay," Emily confirmed, shifting he weight of her mother's tote bag on her shoulder. "But just so you know, dinner, Christmas lights, and Mass all sound like a pretty good Christmas Eve to me, and not significantly different than what we already had planned."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story has morphed some from the beginning, but it is still moving along with the Christmas cliche thing. I have a little bit left and then I will take a break from bothering you all for a while... As an aside, I lived in New York for a couple years (I played soccer at NYU my freshman year of college, but due to a family situation had to sadly move back and finish school here. Looking back I try really hard not to get upset about it... but sometimes I am a little sad about that whole time period.) I am kind of adding some of the things I remember about the city during my life there because it matches up to this time period. I also lived there for a year after I finished my bachelor's degree... it was not quite the same the second time around, but I do miss Christmas in New York.


	9. Chapter 9

Once they were upstairs in the apartment Sharon took the opportunity to kick off her boots and remove some of her layers. Even though she and Andy had made it to the city at a decent hour she was still eager to change out of her travel attire. Plus, running some water over her face and taking a moment to decompress was a small act to prepare for the evening ahead; figuratively washing away the travel stress of the last twenty-four hours.

While her mother was settling in Emily deposited the cookies in her apartment's small kitchen area and plugged a phone into the charger in the living room. "So, Mom," she called to her mother who stood at the bathroom sink, "do you want to rest a little here or go ahead and head out? We missed the matinee, but could still do a few other holiday things around the city before it gets too late. There are a few different places we could go in addition to the ones we discussed."

Sharon emerged from the bathroom rubbing lotion into her hands. "That sounds lovely. I am ready for whatever you want to do. I am sorry we missed the ballet though, Em -."

"Don't worry, Mom," Emily interrupted walking toward her mother, "I am just happy you are here." She hugged her mother again, "I missed you." When she pulled back she smiled, "Besides, while it may be a Christmas tradition, we have seen the Nutcracker a time or two. It is even possible I have danced it so many times I could recreate the whole performance for you right here in my small living room."

Sharon returned her daughter's smile, "Indeed you could."

"We will just have to adapt. Perhaps we could start some new traditions," Emily shrugged, "or we could at least take the opportunity to do some things we rarely get the chance to do. Since my lovely baby brother is not here to moan about missing things we could go a little rogue." She paused for a moment and lifted her eyebrows teasingly, "After all, I am not the child who is prone to teeny meltdowns if the Christmas Village is not arranged perfectly, or if someone gets more cookies than someone else."

Sharon rolled her eyes playfully at the joke, "Now Emily, let's be kind. Your brother gets very excited about the holidays. I do not know where he gets it from." She smirked innocently and walked across the room to her bag. "I do wish he could have made it home this year. I know it is a really good opportunity for him to be studying and living abroad. The experiences are priceless and it is only one year, but still…" Sharon's voice trailed as she attempted to hide the hint of grief at not being able to see her son for Christmas this year.

"At least you were able to make it here though," Emily encouraged, "and we are going to Skype with him this evening. A benefit to the time difference is that he should be waking up after we get home from Mass. It will be perfect."

Sharon shook off her sudden flash of sadness and smiled, "Yes, that will be perfect. Sorry, I know it is all a good thing. You are both growing up and experiencing life. I am so proud of both of you, and very thankful I was able to make it here to you."

"Me too," her daughter nodded, "and I guess we could thank the Lieutenant for helping you get here on time? Or I guess, in time?" Sharon raised a skeptic eyebrow in her daughter's direction as Emily continued, "Even if you are about to point out that you would have been perfectly fine on your own, that you did not need his help, and that you did not purposely travel with him… I am glad you at least had someone to travel with, and to keep things interesting."

"Interesting is definitely a word for it. Surprising, no, refreshing are also words that could work." While Emily finished getting ready herself, Sharon sat on the futon couch to pull her boots back on. She sighed, "I do not have many friends in the department, and I would not have put Lieutenant Flynn on that list prior to this." Sharon paused for a moment to consider the situation, "Also, I don't really think many things will change once we get back to work. I will admit it was nice that we could move past our differences, and get along well enough to make it here in one piece." Sharon chuckled, "of course he may not have been so lucky if I had not been with him."

Across the room Emily looked out from her closet, "What do you mean?"

"Well, for one thing he fell on the ice, and dropped his phone. I am sure it was just the cold the caused the battery to die, or if maybe he forgot to charge it overnight at the hotel. No matter what it was it was not working. He would not have had a way to communicate if I had not been with him. Also, his own stubbornness could have prevented him from stopping last night when the conditions were too dangerous to continue on. It is entirely possible his competitive nature would have spun him straight into a ditch."

Emily selected a coat from the closet and pulled it on. "You mean he thought it would be okay to drive last night? Why do people do that? You cannot outsmart the weather."

At the question Sharon paused for a moment. She considered what the two of them had discussed on the road, combined with what she had heard over the years. To the outside it may have looked as though he was being stubborn, or even foolish, to want to push on through a storm. However, she could not help but think there was something more motivating him to make it in time for Christmas. "Not wanting to let his family down was probably a factor." She sighed thoughtfully, "Andy really wanted to spend the holiday with his sister, since his children had other plans. Not wanting to disappoint those you love can play a role when you have spent the last few years trying to make amends for your past. You don't want to let anyone down, even if they would understand that you cannot control the weather or air travel." Sharon shrugged and forced a laugh to lighten the mood, "Also the stubbornness thing I mentioned earlier probably could have had something to do with it."

"Well, he seems like a decent guy," Emily shrugged pulling her hair into a low bun and wrapping her scarf around her neck. "Especially if he is trying to make things right with his family." Sharon pressed her lips into a cautious half smile, but Emily shook off that potentially sad train of thought. She forced her own smile, "So, what happened else happened on your trip? I mean besides him pushing on and breaking his phone."

Sharon shrugged unsure what else to offer. The trip had been surprising and refreshing, but it was what it was. A series of coincidences that turned out to not be that bad of a trip, "Not really anything special. He dropped his phone while we were helping a couple kids get back on the road for their Christmas plans. It was a slight delay, but in the grand scheme of the trip a good opportunity to help someone else. Other than that?" She paused as her mind went over the rest of the trip, "There really is not anything else to say, we survived."

Emily felt like there was something more, but she did not know if it was the appropriate time to push her mother for more information. "Well, maybe it was good for both of you to have someone to travel with," she suggested. "Your presence may have prevented him getting into an accident, you helped some strangers, and you were not all alone on the highway. Maybe you will have an ally at work or something."

Sharon sighed, "Perhaps. Although, like I said I doubt it will be brought up again. Especially because of work, I am not well liked and Andy is a bit of a wildcard. Besides, I do have an image to protect. I would hate for anyone in the department to hear that the wicked witch exists outside of the halls of the PAB, and that she shockingly bakes Christmas cookies for her children."

Emily laughed at her mother's joke, "Or that she flies commercial and not on her broom."

"Exactly," Sharon agreed standing up and pulling on her coat.

"I do not know how you put up with those people," her daughter continued to giggle. "However, after briefly meeting this Andy fellow, I do think you may have been exaggerating a tad. He was very nice, and not too bad to look at either…"

"Emily Eileen," Sharon sighed heavily dropping her head back. "We work together. By some strange coincidence we wound up on the same flight and traveling in the same direction. We survived 24 hours together on the road. It was surprisingly nice, but there is nothing more."

Emily smiled as she turned to put her gloves in her purse. "Nothing more," she repeated sarcastically. "Of course, I did not detect anything else. Nothing going on at all." She slid her camera into her bag as well and found her keys. As she walked toward the front door she called back to her mother, "Now, what about the plan for dinner?"

-x-x-

A few blocks uptown Andy had made it to the rental car return and turned over the keys. Instead of waiting in the lobby he opted to stand outside on the sidewalk to take in the sights and sounds of the city. The sun was setting over the river sending a few final rays bouncing off the snow and to his right he could hear the subway rumbling under the sidewalk vents. With his bag beside him he stretched lightly. He stood tall, enjoying the crisp air and a moment to finally stand up and relax; he had made it, finally. As he rolled his neck, his eyes closed, he heard a sharp whistle from the east corner. With his head relaxed back he opened his eyes and smiled broadly into the sky. She was a small woman, but that whistle could be heard for miles. He rolled his head toward the sound.

"Hey old man!" Liv called striding toward him bundled in her coat and scarf, "I thought we agreed you would wait for me _inside_ the building. It would have been incredibly embarrassing to have to report a missing LAPD detective on Christmas Eve. I am sure the NYPD would love to have a story like that to hold over your department."

Andy turned as she approached, his smile still wide, "Contrary to popular belief I am an adult and am perfectly capable of making decisions and taking care of myself." He shrugged, "I didn't think it was too big of a risk to wait outside. Look here," he pointed to the sidewalk, "I didn't even wander too far."

Liv lifted an eyebrow in his direction, "Please excuse me for worrying. Risk assessment has not always been your strong suit."

"Perhaps, but today I did all right." He grinned stepping forward and wrapping his sister in a hug, "Merry Christmas, sis."

"Merry Christmas, kid," she smiled into his chest. "I am so glad you made it."

"Me too," he hummed pulling away from her. "It was touch and go there for a bit, but I was never going to let a little snow keep me away."

Liv stepped away from him his hold and readjusted her purse on her shoulder. "A little snow?" She echoed, "half of the eastern seaboard was shut down because of that storm. Travel was delayed for thousands of people. You were lucky to have landed as close as you did."

"I am thankful for that," Andy continued to grin. "Even if at the time I was a little perturbed." His sister gave him a doubting look at the word _little_ , as he continued, "Still, I made the best of it. Here I am."

She shook her head in amusement, "Here you are." Liv smiled and looped her arm through his to walk together down the street. "All in one piece, minus a phone, and possibly injured due not respecting the elements, but –"

"Hey now," he interrupted, "I respect the elements. I'll have you know we were helping some stranded kids. I fell and broke my phone sure, but it was all in the line of duty."

She smirked, "The line of duty, really?" When he only nodded she quipped, "Well, try to stay upright for the rest of the trip, hm? We are down a day and I would hate to spend any of it in the hospital."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Andy dropped his head back in exaggeration. "You would think I should just give up now, wrap myself in bubble wrap and call it a day."

"Well," his sister considered.

Andy pulled away slightly, "I was joking."

Liv laughed out loud at his expression, "Maybe if you stop falling we will have something else to focus on. Until then you will just have to stay vertical and out of hospitals."

He rolled his eyes, "You're hilarious. I am surrounded by comedians."

"Speaking of being surrounded, everything go all right when you dropped Sharon off at her daughter's place?" Andy shrugged a yes, but did not offer any other information. Liv glanced up at his face before looking down to the watch on her wrist. "Okay, I guess that is a yes. We have about an hour before the reservation though. What is the plan with Sharon? Are we all meeting at the restaurant?"

Still walking along beside her Andy pressed his lips together. "Well," he sighed, "I don't know if they are joining us. It's -"

"Christmas," Liv completed his sentence removing her arm from his to stop him. "Andrew, I thought Sharon and her daughter were going to join us. What did you do?"

"Me?" Andy gasped. "I didn't do anything. It was a long trip. They have plans too. They were going to discuss it after I left."

Liv shook her head, "I wasn't suggesting we take over their evening. It would just be so lovely to meet them. How often do I get a chance to meet your friends? Your surly partner does not count… Did you at least give them the name of the restaurant?"

"Well, no," Andy sighed. "I'm sure she will let you know what they decide. She has your number." He took a step forward to continue their walk.

Live nodded and followed along beside him. "She does," Liv commented as she reached for her phone. "Just to be safe, I will text her the address and the time so they know for sure."

Andy moaned tiredly, "Okay, sis. Let them know, but don't be upset if it doesn't happen. I am sure she wants to spend some time apart. It was a long day, a strange day, and..."

As his voice trailed Liv peeked up from her phone screen. Her brother looked tired, but also on good spirits. "It won't hurt to ask Andy," she hummed. "Are you afraid of her knowing too much about you? Afraid I'll start spilling your secrets?"

Andy slowly exhaled, "Well, I wasn't, but now?"

His sister chuckled once and returned to her text. "Don't worry Andrew. It will be fine."

* * *

_A/N: I hope_ _everyone has a Merry Christmas, hopefully I will get this thing wrapped up soon!_


	10. Dinner

A little later in the evening Andy and Liv had arrived at the restaurant. Liv had successfully added the other women to their reservation and was excitedly awaiting their arrival. "Here, I'll sit next to you," she offered pulling out the chair to the side. Nodding to her right she indicated the best seat for him, "You need to face the door, so we don't miss them when they come in."

Andy nodded and somewhat reluctantly moved to the specified seat at the round table beside his sister, but still facing the door. Sharon had responded to Liv's text that they would be able to meet them for the 7:30 reservation time. Their plans were flexible until later, as they had tickets to the Midnight Mass at St. Patrick's that evening. The mother and daughter had originally planned to walk by the shops and the different decorations, but to find dinner along the way. Since the restaurant was nearby Sharon, with a gentle prod from Emily, had agreed to meet them there.

This evening the restaurant was full, but not overly crowded. It appeared that many of the diners were groups without small children enjoying the opportunity for a nice holiday gathering without the cleanup. Liv and Andy had been shown to a table near the front windows, and next to the Christmas tree in the corner. The lights from the tree reflecting off the window gave the dining room a very cozy holiday feel, even if the view of the dirty city street left something to be desired.

As the waiter dropped by to confirm the number in the party and if the group wanted tap or bottled water, the front door opened. Liv watched as Andy's head lifted and a flash of recognition crossed his face. As quickly as the light had appeared, he recovered with a small wave in the direction of the door. His sister followed his gaze to the front and beamed at the arrival of whom she assumed were Sharon and her daughter. She knew they were coming, but had been a little nervous that something would pop up. A small part of her also worried that she had been a little too pushy and had turned them away. Since it was Christmas she had tried her luck and hoped that the others would be willing to join them for a nice meal. It was not everyday that she had the opportunity to meet someone from Andy's west coast life, and if nothing else she could offer to at least be another contact in the city for Emily.

As the pair approached the table Andy stood to greet them and to introduce them to his sister. Liv stood as well and stepped around one of the chairs to offer Sharon a brief side-hug. "Merry Christmas," she greeted with a genuine smile. "It is so lovely to finally meet you both. I am very glad you could join us, especially on such short notice." She reached for Emily's hand and gently pulled her to the chair at her left, leaving the seat across from her for Sharon. "Now, you live here in the city?" She questioned as she sat back into her own seat and Emily allowed herself to be pulled into the adjacent chair.

"I do," Emily smiled shifting in the seat to scoot her legs under the table. She glanced to her mother, who was removing her purse to hang the strap on the back of her own chair, and then back to the other woman. "I just finished school last spring and am attempting to begin my career. A couple of my friends and I share an apartment not too far from here. It's small, but it works."

Liv looked across the table. Andy had his hand on the back of the chair as Sharon sat down. When she was situated she nodded her thanks to Andy and he retook his own seat. He turned in his seat to listen to the women's conversation. Liv smiled softly to herself, but without missing a beat returned her attention to the young woman. "Such an exciting time for you right now, Emily. A life so full of possibilities, and I can tell you are motivated. Your parents must be so proud of you!"

At the comment Sharon reached out her right hand to rub Emily's shoulder, "Trust me, I am." She smiled genuinely at the other woman, "Although I would be proud of her no matter what she was doing."

"My mother is, and has always been, my biggest fan," Emily explained with a sincere smile. "She is always there for us when either myself or my brother need her, always."

Liv reached out and patted Emily's hand that rested on the table, "As she should be." She pulled her hand back and reached for the water glass a member of the wait staff had just filled. "So, you said you were just starting your career? What are you doing? Or I guess, what are you hoping to do?"

She had caught Emily mid sip, so Andy cleared his throat and replied to his sister, "She is a dancer. A ballet dancer."

"Oh really?" Liv exclaimed twisting closer to Emily, "how lovely. Would I have seen any of your shows? I do not make it out often, but I do try. I love the ballet."

Returning her glass to the table Emily grinned, "Probably not, unless you attend the showcases at the university. I have had a couple small parts in a few productions as well, but probably nothing you have been to see yet."

Andy leaned forward supportively, "I feel like I have heard something somewhere about there being no small parts?"

"That's true," Emily smiled again, "I did not mean it like that. Just that I am still paying my dues and training hard." Her eyes drifted toward her mother as she bit down on her lip, "But I do have some news on the dancing front," she offered. "I have a pretty exciting audition coming up in a few weeks."

"Really?" Sharon leaned toward her daughter.

"Uh huh." Emily feigned indifference and shrugged, "Just a little opportunity with the American Ballet Theatre, no big deal."

Sharon clasped her hands together excitedly in front of her and echoed, "No big deal? Emily this is wonderful news."

"Congratulations," Andy offered from across the table. He knew very little about the dance world, but any audition with a something like that had to be a good thing.

Emily smiled and looked around at everyone, "Thank you. But it is nothing to be too excited about yet. I mean I am really hopeful, but I have not made it yet. I auditioned before last season as well. This time around I have a call back, so... We shall see how it goes."

"Still, that is all very exciting," Liv added. "Something to be proud of for sure. Are you dancing anywhere now? I would love to come to one of your shows. Sometimes it is hard to know what to do and where to go in this city. I am always looking for new places to go, new people to see."

The younger woman smiled, "I am in a winter showcase right now at a small studio in the Village. Luckily, I was able to find a place where I could teach and train at the same time. So, my life is all dance right now, and I absolutely love it."

"Em has been dancing since before she could walk. I always knew she would find a way to make it her life," Sharon beamed. Emily pressed her lips together in an awkward smile as her face reddened slightly. Her mother leaned toward her and reassuringly hummed her earlier sentiments, "I am so proud of you honey. This is where you are meant to be."

Liv glanced over to Andy with a smile in order to give Emily a moment to collect herself. However, before anyone had another chance to speak the waiter returned to take their orders. When everyone made their selections Liv took the opportunity to shift the topic of conversation away from ballet. "So, Sharon," she straightened in her seat and leaned forward, "You and Andy work together."

"Well, not together," Andy clarified before Sharon could answer. At his response, Sharon shot him a quick look prevent him from interrupting the conversation any further. Andy closed his mouth and reached for his glass instead.

His sister pressed her mouth together to hold back a chuckle over the exchange. When she was certain Andy was not going to interrupt, Sharon grinned across the table to Liv. "He is right, we don't work together. We both work for the LAPD of course, but in different departments."

"Mom is in internal affairs," Emily nodded reaching for her glass as well, "she polices the police."

"The rat squad," Andy groaned under his breath.

Not hearing his exact words, but assuming it was something negative Sharon smirked, "Someone has be to there to hold everyone accountable. We may not be the most beloved department, but without us? Things could devolve into utter chaos. Not everyone on the force has the same goals and motivations in mind. We are a wonderful department on the whole, but occasionally someone decides they are above the law. The system falls apart if regulations are overlooked or ignored. If an officer lets something slide it runs the risk of discrediting the entire system."

"It sounds like a tough job," Liv nodded, but cut her eyes meaningfully in Andy's direction. "I have been policing this one for decades and sometimes it feels like a losing battle. I can't imagine doing it on a larger scale, and with those who you can't threaten, _to tell mom_."

He caught her look and forced a smile, "Policing me? I am not that bad."

"Not anymore." Liv reached out and placated him by rubbing his arm, "but you still have your moments."

Andy returned the comment with an unimpressed smirk. Emily let out a hearty laugh at the familiar sibling exchange. At the sound of the laughter, Andy's face broke into a smile as well, but before he could offer anything in his defense he heard Sharon snort into her drink. He shifted his eyes to the spot at his right; she was attempting to hide her amusement behind her hand, but her eyes were still shining with laughter. "You think that's funny, Raydor?" When she only shook her head to the side he went on, "You cannot deny that I am right. I am not that bad, there are worse people out there. I follow the rules," he shrugged before adding, "mostly."

Collecting herself she smiled, "Is that your argument, Flynn? There are worse people out there, and you are not that bad? Because that is not exactly a high bar you have set for yourself."

Andy rolled his eyes, "You know what I mean."

Liv sat across the table observing their banter. She leaned toward Sharon conspiratorially, "Tell me, Sharon. What is my little brother like at work? His stories always leave me thinking there is something more. You know he has always been a bit of a troublemaker. Momma always said it was a pleasant surprise for all of us when he made the choice to be on this side of the bars, rather than ending up on the other side of them."

Still enjoying the conversation Emily smiled mischievously across the table, "Is she saying you were trouble as a kid, Andy?"

Liv nodded to the young woman, "He acted out some."

"Who didn't?" Andy huffed, "but I didn't sneak out of the house to meet my -"

"That isn't what we are speaking about right now, Andrew," Liv interrupted with a stern tone. "You are the one with a questionable history of not following the rules, and your indiscretions are well documented."

Sharon shifted forward and laughed, "History? You mean a questionable present too, right?"

"Oh yes," his sister smiled, "I misspoke, I have heard of a few recent misadventures as well. You know what they say about old dogs and such."

"Hey now," Andy interrupted. "Who are you calling old? And I think new tricks have been mastered, thank you very much. I may have a handful of charges in my file, but I have been cleared of each one of those bogus claims."

Sharon tilted her head to the side in thought. " _Mastered_ new tricks?" She clarified tapping a finger to her chin, "I feel like we may have differing definitions of that term."

"Careful, Andy," Emily warned with practiced seriousness, "I know this look. She is just getting started. You had better just stop talking now and admit that you are wrong." Despite her attempt to appear firm she began to giggle at her mother's expression.

Sharon lifted an eyebrow in her daughter's direction, "Are you suggesting I am not willing to discuss a difference of opinions?"

"No, mother, not at all," Emily stated sweetly holding back her laughter. "I was just giving Andy a heads up. From my brief observations today I feel like he does not quite have this all figured out yet."

Liv patted her brother's shoulder, "He is a slow learner."

"Hey!" Andy swiveled his head toward her, "Whose side are you on? What about sibling solidarity?"

"Well," she sighed as she took a sip of her water to avoid answering.

Sharon laughed at the evasion. "Poor, Andy. You have had a rough couple of days, and now that we are all here your sister seems to be siding against you too."

"She has crossed over to the dark side," Andy groaned. "I knew this dinner was a bad idea."

Liv rubbed her brother's arm again. "Oh now, Andy, don't be like that. We are just teasing you." She shifted her gaze to Sharon and smirked, "but I don't think this was a bad idea at all. I am having a wonderful time."

"Me too," Emily chimed in. "Mom was a little hesitant, but I always enjoy meeting her friends."

"Hesitant?" Sharon echoed, "I just did not want to keep Andy away from his sister. We had a long journey and it is not like we had planned to spend the evening as a group."

Emily smiled at Liv, "See, hesitant. But you cannot force her to do something she does not want to do in the first place. Also, like I said I thought it would be fun as well. Since my brother is out of the country and I am over here there are no rules to say we had to stick to something specific."

"No rules?" Andy chimed in, "How will you survive?"

Sharon cut her eyes in his direction, "Funny," she stated firmly. "Contrary to popular belief I can adapt to new situations, rules or no rules."

"I feel like this whole conversation needs to be documented," Andy teased. "Provenza would have a field day with this."

She pressed her lips together in a saccharine smile, "Go ahead and continue with that line of thought. I dare you."

"Careful, Andy," his sister warned, "I am definitely on Sharon's side for this one."

Andy sat back in his chair and smirked, "Of course you are."

Fortunately for Andy the food arrived and the conversation shifted to short conversations about the meal and the atmosphere. The food was delicious, definitely better than the hotel breakfast that morning and the roadside diner that afternoon. Liv took the opportunity to ask Emily more about her job and her life in the city, but nothing too specific. As the dinner came to a close Liv asked about the rest of their evening plans.

"I was able to get tickets to Midnight Mass at St Patrick's," Emily smiled. "It is a beautiful cathedral, I am really looking forward to the service tonight. I do not usually attend mass over there, but for Christmas it seemed appropriate. We are going to walk around for a bit first though."

Andy nodded, "We are going to a service closer to Liv's place."

"Yes," his sister confirmed, "but we still have time to walk around. I was going to make my brother take me over to see the tree. He hasn't been up here for Christmas the last couple of years and that was one of the things we did as kids. Although, I think we will skip the ice skating this year, I don't think I have it in me."

Emily smiled at Liv, "Well, if you want you could join us." She gave her mother a quick grin before returning her attention to the other woman, "As I said, there are no rules tonight. We are just wandering around enjoying Christmas in the city."


	11. Skating

"So, Emily," Liv called walking up beside the younger woman and looping her arm through Emily's at the elbow. "Is this the first time you have spent the actual holiday in the city?"

Emily slowed her pace and smiled over to the other woman, "Well, we visited family out here one Christmas when my brother was a baby. I do not really remember it, just the photographs and stories. This is the first time I have spent it here as an adult. When I was in school I flew home for the break. So, it was either Christmas in L.A. or at my grandparent's timeshare in Utah. Mom decided to come out here this year when my brother was accepted to the program abroad, and we were not sure how my schedule would play out. Minus the travel delay, I am loving the everything about this Christmas so far."

Liv smiled, "It is lovely isn't it? It almost makes you forget the hectic parts of the city, almost." She looked around, "Especially with all of the snow. We don't have a white Christmas every year, but it really gives everything a more festive feel. Don't you think?" Emily nodded, and Liv continued, "Of course when it snows like this in February we will all be complaining about the cold, the inconvenience, and the slow melting times." She laughed lightly, "but for now we can pretend we are living in a cozy holiday film. Everything is just so perfectly Christmassy."

Emily hummed in agreement as her eyes traveled down the street and into the shop windows as they passed. The storefronts on the walk down 48th Street toward Fifth Avenue had the odd decoration and a few signs in some of the windows. "The city in general has a movie feel to it, minus of course the silly endings." Emily laughed, "Right now, this area reminds me of the second _Home Alone_ when Kevin decides to visit the tree. Except there are way more people around," They neared the corner, "Oh, but then _Desk Set_ was around here too, right?"

Liv laughed, "Yes, I love that one. Hepburn and Tracey had lunch on top of The Rock in that one, I think. Although, we won't be taking, what is it they kept going on about – the Lexington Avenue bus? - tonight." They continued to walk along chatting about New York moments and different experiences they had had in the city. Behind them Sharon and Andy followed occasionally listening in, but really just walking along.

"I'm sorry my sister has stolen your daughter away this evening. Once she gets an idea in her head she runs with it," Andy chuckled anxiously nodding to the pair. "I am beginning to wonder if she even cares that I made the trip at all. She would have been so bored just spending it with me."

Liv turned her head, "Well, if you weren't so boring, then maybe I would not have pushed for dinner with Sharon. Besides, Andrew, I like your friends." She reached up and squeezed Emily's hand as they continued to walk ahead.

Andy rolled his eyes and nodded to Sharon as if his point was proven by the comment. Sharon smirked, "Sisters can be like that sometimes. My sisters always like to meet people from my life, but it goes both ways. Then when we meet a new person it is like the family member no longer exists."

"Which sister is this?" Andy gave her a mischievous smile, "I thought I had heard something about someone dropping a house on your sister or something."

Sharon's eyes widened for a brief moment before she realized it was ridiculous attempt at a joke. "That was all a rouse," she stated matter-of-factly, "she lives happily upstate, sparkly magic slippers and all."

"Touché," Andy grinned, "should have known." The two walked along in silence, intermittently listening to the conversation taking place in front of them. "So," Andy broke the silence, "you two are going to St. Patrick's this evening?"

Tucking her hands into the pockets of her coat Sharon smiled, "Yes, Emily decided to make the most of the whole experience. She worked out the procedure a few months in advance and was able to get us two tickets for the service this evening. I had no idea we would need to plan it out so far in advance."

"I would have expected nothing less," Andy hummed thoughtfully, looking forward. "I mean the whole planning process on her part. Even before I met Emily, I would have assumed _your_ daughter would be a very organized person."

Sharon pressed her lips into a smile and bumped his shoulder with hers, "Let's not go back to making fun of the rulebook thing. You're beginning to run out of material, Lieutenant, now that we have spent more time together than we could have ever imagined." She met his eyes, "Careful, you may even start to think that I am not that bad, here pretty soon."

"Heaven forbid," Andy groaned, feigning alarm. "I think we used up all of the Christmas miracles getting here before Christmas Eve and all in one piece. Let's not press our luck into thinking we may actually be on friendly terms after all of this is said and done."

Sharon could not help but laugh at the comment, "True. Plus, we still have the rest of the evening. I would hate to jinx anything by assuming our Christmases were saved or something."

Andy chuckled, but had nothing to immediately offer in reply. The trip had been nice once they relaxed and accepted that they were stuck in the snow. Even dinner earlier that evening had been enjoyable, jokes at his expense aside. The group continued on and turned the corner to head up on Fifth. Liv unhooked her arm from Emily's and fell back to walk beside her brother. Sharon took the opportunity to stride ahead and walk with Emily.

She reached for her daughter's hand and swung it lightly in the space between them, "Are you have a good evening?"

"Definitely," Emily smiled swaying her hand back and forth with her mother's. "It has been really nice to spend it with them. Even if Andy is not really your favorite person, and even if his sister was a stranger a few hours ago."

Sharon smiled thoughtfully, "You know? If you had told me two days ago that we would be spending Christmas with Andy Flynn I would have said you had lost your mind." She sighed, looking out at the sidewalk in front of them, "But this has not been so bad."

"No, it hasn't." Emily grinned and turned to face her mother. After her comment, Sharon's mind had wandered through the strange events of the last two days. "I agree that is been not so bad," she echoed her mother's words. As they crossed 49th Street and passed the building on the corner Emily's eyes lit up. Sharon felt the mood shift and smiled at the light behind her daughter's eyes. She turned to her left to see the lights of the Christmas decorations lining the sidewalk down toward Rockefeller Plaza. Sharon smiled happily at the scene.

The paved walkway was lined with paired angels sitting atop concrete planters; each angel sparkled in the light with their own golden trumpet pointed to the sky. The dozen angels lead the way down to the giant tree at the end, just above the ice skating rink. Sharon hummed along with the Christmas music from the speakers at the ice skating rink. The sound of the music carried over the other sounds of the city, growing louder as they walked down the way.

"Mom," Emily smiled pulling away from her mother to dig through her purse. Sharon drew her eyes from the decorations to settle on Emily. Her daughter pulled her camera out of her bag, "What do you say to taking a few pictures to send to Ricky? I am sure he has memories of his own to share, but we can at least share part of our night with him when we call him later. It is not quite the same as being here, but it is something."

Sharon took a step toward Emily and held out her hand for the camera, "Sounds like a wonderful idea. Here you go stand over there by the angels and I will take a few pictures with the tree in the background."

Emily handed over the camera and did as she was told. "We'll have to get some of you too, mom." She smiled for a picture, "Just in case you were thinking that being the photographer saved you from being in them."

"Why don't you stand up there with Emily," Andy suggested walking up behind her and gesturing to the camera. Sharon took a moment, but handed the camera to him and joined her daughter by the figures. The pair posed together for a couple shots before Emily waved to Liv to join them. After the group pictures, Emily also convinced Andy to pose for a couple with his sister. "Okay," Andy mumbled after the third flash, "We are good. Let's get closer to the tree. There will be more photo opportunities for you by the tree." Emily smiled and returned the camera to her purse as the group continued walking.

"So, I know you all mentioned something about not wanting to ice skate, but…" Emily's voice trailed expectantly as the group neared the end of the walkway. She angled her path toward the steps, "It is Christmas, and how often to you get the chance to skate on Christmas Eve underneath a beautiful Christmas tree and surrounded by angels?"

Sharon rolled her eyes at her daughter's not-so-subtle tactics of persuasion. She did enjoy ice skating, but it had been a few years since she had been on the ice. Plus, she was not sure the others would enjoy the change in plans. She swiveled her head in Liv and Andy's direction.

With her eyes focused on Emily, Liv patted her brother's shoulder. "I don't know, Emily. We are a bit out of practice, and some of us were not gifted with a natural, um, grace," she attempted to explain. Liv smiled at Andy, "And some of us struggle to stay upright on our own feet, no matter how much we complain that it is the universe's fault."

"Is this pick on Andy night?" he huffed sarcastically, "I make the trip all the way out here to spend Christmas with you, get stuck on the road with Raydor, and now I have to suffer the abuse of all three of you? A very merry Christmas indeed."

Liv swatted his shoulder and laughed, "Oh hush. You know this Christmas has already been better than the last. Besides, we are just teasing you. We can skate if you want, I'll even hold your hand so you won't fall."

Andy rolled his head in her direction and droned, "Hooray, my lucky day."

"Come on, Andy," Emily chuckled from the steps to walk down to the rink. "It will be fun." She gestured to her mother who was simply observing the conversation and waiting for a decision, "Are you coming, mom?"

Sharon shook her head slightly and directed her eyes toward her daughter. Emily was already moving down the stairs. She smiled, "If everyone wants to, then sure. It has been a long time since I have been on the ice. It will be fun." She glanced to her left and shrugged at the others.

Andy nodded and followed the group down to the stand to rent their skates and to secure a small locker for their things. Once everyone had their skates laced and their items locked in the locker Emily led the way to the ice.

To no one's surprise Emily stepped elegantly onto the rink and immediately took off in a warm up lap around the ice. Years of dedication to dancing, and her own athleticism, had supplied her with a level of control over her body that translated into moving just as effortlessly on the ice as the stage.

"Well," Liv praised as Emily came back around and finished her lap with a flourish. "If that little twirl was any indication of your ballet skills then I am sure you will have no problem at your upcoming audition. Plus, the Christmas music playing as you danced on the ice, that was lovely." The younger woman smiled, and glided back to the group. Liv stepped cautiously onto the ice. After a breath she looked up and returned Emily's smile, "Should be just like riding a bike, huh?" Moving closer, she dropped her voice to a whisper, "Please make sure I don't fall and break a hip. After teasing Andy for years I would hate to be the one to wind up in the hospital tonight."

Emily stepped forward and looped her arm through Liv's. She smiled and dropped her voice to match the other woman's tone, "Of course. I know what you mean, I would never want Ricky to be proved right on anything." Liv laughed at the comment and the two skated slowly away from the gate leaving Andy and Sharon behind.

At the entrance to the rink, Andy gently lifted his foot to clear the small lip at the gate. "Nervous, Lieutenant," Sharon teased from behind him. "We do not have all evening, if you want to skate, you need to just take a step out there and see what happens."

Andy took a breath and wobbled onto the ice. When he was a few feet away, and still standing, he smiled to himself and turned to face her. "Not nervous, at all Captain. Just taking my time, getting used to the skates."

Sharon smirked at his comment, but quietly followed him out onto the rink. When she was away from the entrance she took a couple steps to orient herself on the ice. Andy smirked, but before he could make fun of her for going slow she changed her position. With unexpected precision she angled her blades to guide her self in a small circle around the area.

"Show off," Andy huffed. "Of course you would be good at this as well. Captain Practically Perfect."

Sharon beamed at the tease, still gliding smoothly around him. " _Captain Practically Perfect_? That's a new one. I always did enjoy Mary Poppins." She twirled slowly on the spot. The movement reminded her of skating as a child and the magical feeling of getting lost out on the ice. "I never said that I was _not_ good at skating, Andy, just that it had been years. Plus, I was in ballet as a child as well. I was never talented enough to take it further than childhood lessons. But some things, like ice skating, did come easier for me."

She came to a stop just beside him. Andy exhaled and took a couple shaky steps forward. The fact that he did not instantly fall gave him the confidence to attempt a stronger forward motion. However, as soon as he took off the toe of his skate jammed into a groove in the ice. He lost his balance and instantly shot his arms out wide to catch himself. As he windmilled back and forth, Sharon slid up beside him and reached for one of his flailing arms to stabilize him. "Careful, Andy," she called as he regained his balance. "We were joking about falling, but really you should be careful."

Embarrassed, Andy pulled his arm out of her hold, "I can skate," he lamented. "There are just a lot of people out here making tracks. I did not realize the ice was not as smooth as it should be. I can skate just fine."

Sharon rolled her eyes and moved to skate away. "Fine," she sighed, "I apologize for being helpful. Next time the imperfect elements attack I will just let you fall." A few paces away, and almost out of earshot, she heard a grumble and a thud. She stopped and dipped her head back to the sky. She stood there for a moment internally debating whether or not she wanted to turn around and deal with the overconfident Lieutenant. Ultimately, curiosity, and the fact that Emily and Liv were on the other side of the ice enjoying their evening, had her turning back around.

Andy was lying flat on his back in full starfish mode staring up at the sky. His chest was rising and falling in pained huffs of breath, but otherwise he was not moving. She carefully weaved against the flow of traffic to stand by his side. With her hands on her hips she looked down at him, "You can skate, hm?" She repeated his earlier statement and leaned closer. He closed his eyes tighter and took in a deep breath, but said nothing. Sharon eyed him, "It seems like we have been here before, Lieutenant."

From his spot on the ground Andy opened one eye, "Yeah, this time a kid came out of nowhere and knocked me down though. And really if we are being technical, last time it was an ice patch and a very windy interstate. Neither time was my fault. I am just a victim of unfortunate circumstances."

Sharon hummed skeptically and looked around the area. There were a few kids out skating, but none nearby. "Pesky kids," she teased. Sharon reached out to help him sit up, "Are you going to stay down there all evening or would you like some help?"

Andy closed his eye, "Well, I do think I will lay here for a bit. I could make a snow angel." He took another concentrated breath to control the pain he was definitely experience this time around. The ice this evening was much less forgiving than the snow the earlier in the day.

"A snow angel, on the ice?" Sharon cut in. "You may need to rethink that plan, Andy. Here I'll help you up. You will get stiffer the longer you stay down there like that." When he did not make an effort to move she bent down lower and picked up his wrist to pull him up, "All right, Andy, this isn't funny. Are you okay?"

He lifted his head off of the ice and opened his eyes, "Mostly." He rolled his shoulders in preparation to sit forward, but grimaced in pain. His old shoulder injury had apparently flared during the first almost-spin out. Sadly, the subsequent impact on the ice had not done anything to help to the situation.

He moved slowly and allowed her to gently pull on his good arm. He took her hand and as they pulled against each other his other arm twinged angrily. The instant shot of pain down his arm caused him to contract inward to protect the injury. The slight change in movement pulled Sharon off balance and forward onto him. She fell heavily knocking him back to the ground with a huff. When she realized what had happened she shuffled to stand, but pressed against his side instead of the ice. He let out another pained sigh.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled shifting again. "I'm sorry, let me just move -"

"Stop," he interrupted stilling her with his arm. "Stop moving," he puffed as he tried to refill his lungs with air. "Just a second. My arm… pinched and," he stammered, "I can't breathe."

Sharon held her own breath in an attempt to remain as still as possible. Andy took one shaky breath and then another. When he rolled his neck to reassess his aches Sharon shifted again and lifted her head study his face. His eyes were closed and his forehead was crinkled in concentration. After an awkward second she decided to try to move again, "Andy I am sorry. I lost my balance and..." she rolled to the side and was able to push off on the ice to sit on her knees beside him. She dusted the ice flakes off of her pants and sighed, "Are you all right?"

He squinted through his eyelashes, "This is officially my least favorite Christmas to date."

Sharon let out a laugh at the joke, "Or at least not your best one. The ice and snow are not your friends."

"That's why I prefer California," he lamented resting his eyes for another moment. "I do not do ice and snow." He took another breath and propped himself up on his good arm. "I think," he groaned, "it is time to admit defeat. Maybe Liv was onto something with all of those falling jokes earlier."

Sharon smiled, "Well… she does know you pretty well. Although, it is good to know that you don't listen to her either." Andy rolled his eyes and sat up fully. When he did not wobble Sharon stood. She dug her blades into the ice for added leverage and reached down to help him. "Now, please go slow and do not pull me down with you this time."

He retook her hand, "You are taking a pretty big risk here, Raydor. I think the evidence today shows that I am an accident waiting to happen."

"I'll chance it, Flynn," she huffed as pulled him up. "I don't want to have to explain why I left a concussed LAPD officer sprawled out on the ice on Christmas Eve. Talk about a wicked witch."

Finally upright he smirked, "Funny, but I am not concussed." He paused to rub his head, "or at least, well maybe you aren't that wicked of a witch." He let out another breath and squinted back toward the entrance to the ice rink. Sadly, he had not made it very far before his fall, but at least that meant it was a shorter walk back to safety.

Before he could take a step in that direction, his sister's voice called over the music, "Andrew you could have really hurt Sharon pulling her down like that. What were you thinking? I told you to be careful!"

"Yes," Andy groaned, "I did that all on purpose. It was all part of my evil plan to ruin the evening and to hurt Sharon."

Beside him Sharon gave Liv a reassuring smile, "I am fine. I think I am going to sit down for a moment though. You and Emily should skate a little longer. You look like you're having fun. I will order some hot chocolates and have them ready for all of us when you're done."

"Okay," Liv hummed eyeing her brother. "Please be more careful, Andrew. Remember what I said about your short trip and hospital visits."

Andy lifted his right hand to his forward in mock salute, "Noted, sis. Now, keep skating. I'm going to take a break too."

Liv rolled her eyes, but skated on leaving Andy to make his way across the ice. Sharon followed closely behind, "Are you hovering, Raydor? I'm not going to fall again. It's six feet tops."

Sharon allowed her skates to glide passed him, "Not hovering, Flynn. Just happened to be following in the same direction. You're on your own if you fall again. Deal?"

"Deal," he confirmed taking the final step to the side and grabbing hold of the wall. He used the wall as a guide to step out of the rink and onto the small patch of carpet on the other side. On more stable ground he dropped heavily to the bench beside the gate. As he rubbed his neck he caught sight Sharon out of the corner of his eye. She was walking more gingerly than she had been before. "Are you limping?" He called over the sound of the music.

She rolled her head in his direction, "Perhaps." Sharon reached down and rubbed her knee. "Someone yanked me down and in the chaos I slammed my knee into the ice."

"Shit, Sharon," he exhaled. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean -"

Sharon waved her hand to interrupt him, "It's fine, Andy, just a bruise. I will l have plenty of time to rest it at church tonight and all day tomorrow. I don't fly out until the 26th, I am sure it will be back to normal before then." She moved to the lockers to retrieve her purse and shoes.

Andy nodded, but still felt badly about the injury. "Well," he began again. "I'm sorry. Here I'll get the drinks."

Sharon raised her hand, "No, it's fine. I need to walk it out. You stay there. Here," she tossed him his shoes, "Might as well return our skates in while we wait."

"Thanks," he huffed as the shoes fell to the ground beside him. He removed his skates while Sharon turned away to pick up the hot chocolates. Andy was slow to change into his shoes. He could already feel his body getting sore from the fall; getting older was not fun at all.

A few minutes later Sharon tapped on his shoulder to get his attention, "How's your head?"

Andy looked up and to the left as she rounded the corner of the bench and crossed in front of him. She sat on his right and he shrugged, "Well, it's still there. I'll take an aspirin when I get to Liv's place."

Sharon dipped her head and handed him a hot chocolate, "Sounds like a good plan. What about your shoulder?"

"I'll live," he huffed taking the hot chocolate, "Thanks." Andy took a sip and motioned out at the rink, "It looks like the crowd is thinning out. Emily has more room to spread out and do those _leg lifted behind her gliding along the ice_ things."

Sharon laughed, "You mean, an arabesque. It is a better for her to do those than the jumps. I know nothing is easy, but it is an easier skill she could transfer over to skating when we made it out to the ice." She paused and whipped her in his direction, "But by easy, I by no means am suggesting that you try it or anything. It is not worth risking your remaining brain cells. I do not know how many concussions you are allowed to have…"

"Ha-ha," Andy chirped, "You are hilarious."

Sharon smiled at his reaction, "Occasionally," and tipped her cup back to take a sip of her drink.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes watching the skaters go by. Emily stopped at one point to show Liv something, and Liv turned to the benches to make eye contact with Sharon. Sharon lifted a hot chocolate into the air and Liv smiled. She made an exaggerated swipe to her forehead and mouthed, "Oh my gosh! Thank you," before she returned her attention to Emily to tell her she was going to call it a night.

"Thank you!" she repeated skating off the ice. "We have not been out her for long, but I am exhausted. I think Emily would stay out there all night if she could."

Sharon smiled, "She definitely would if she could." She tracked her eyes across the rink once again, "but it is getting late. We probably should wrap this up if we are all going to get to our next stops." Sharon sat up taller and waved for Emily to come in.

Liv jutted out her bottom lip in a pout, "Really? I can't believe the night is already over. This has been so much fun. I hate for it to end."

Sharon frowned, "I know. I'm sorry."

"Is that mine, mom?" Emily exhaled a moment later, as she dropped onto the bench beside her mother. Sharon smiled and handed the hot chocolate to her, "Thank you," she smiled taking the cup. She took a sip and hummed, "Mmm delicious. This is perfect. Ricky really will be sorry to have missed this Christmas."

"Now, Emily, we can't gloat too much," Sharon reminded her, "He loves Christmas and may be a little sad to have missed it here with us. Even if he is still having Christmas over there."

Emily grinned, "He may even be _more_ upset though when he hears we didn't do everything we normally do. He of course will just have to learn to survive with the knowledge that we did something different without him. There is always next year to drag those silly pine cone elves out of storage, and pretend it is not at all creepy that he has named them."

"Emily," Sharon warned, but Emily simply laughed and took another sip of her drink.

"Will you get to speak with your son for Christmas, Sharon?" Liv asked as she removed her skates.

She smiled, "Yes, we are going to Skype with him tonight after Mass, maybe again tomorrow morning as well. He loves Christmas, but he was also looking forward to the new experience. Next year we will all be together again. Although, when he hears that we went ice skating and had hot chocolates on Christmas Eve he may want to spend it here with Emily next year instead."

"Well, if that happens. Please count me in," Liv beamed. "This has been one of my favorite evenings in quite some time."

Andy piped in, "What about me, sis?"

"Oh, well, Andy, I am sure if you're nice then Sharon will allow you to crash our plans," she nudged his shoulder, "But if not, you're on your own."

"Our plans?" Andy repeated, "on my own? Wow sis, you're already kicking me out? I see how it is."

Liv lifted her cup into the air, "Hey, she bought me hot chocolate and she skated with me. You just fell on the ground. They win, sorry."

Emily laughed, "Don't listen to them, Andy. You can come too, as long as you stay out of trouble of course."

"You mean I will get another chance to be ganged up on by you three?" Andy mocked, "I can't wait. Maybe at least the brother will be on my side."

Emily shrugged, "Doubtful. Ricky has always been on mom's side, always."

"I just can't win," Andy moaned, sitting back in this seat. "We are not even through with this Christmas yet and my sister has already disowned me for the next one." He rolled his head toward Sharon, "Like you said earlier, it is as if I no longer exist."

Liv moved to the seat beside Emily, "Sorry, Andy." Andy rolled his eyes, but said nothing.

Emily broke the silence when she looked at her watch and noted the time, "Well, mom, it may be time to get going if we want a good seat."

Liv frowned, "I really can't believe it is already time to say good bye." She reached out and hugged Emily, "This has been so fun. I am so happy to have met you both. Emily we will have to get together once the holidays are over."

"We will," Emily smiled standing with the others.

Sharon turned toward the stairs, "Well, we can at least all walk out together. You two can get a cab on Fifth?"

"Yes, that will work," Liv smiled. She glanced over to her brother, "Do you have all of your things?"

Andy pointed to his bag, and followed the group up the stairs and back down the walkway. Once they were all at the street he lifted his hand to signal for a taxi.

Liv gave each of the women another hug, "Merry Christmas to you both. Thank you so much for joining us, and then allowing us to tag along with you. This really has been wonderful." She leaned in toward Sharon and whispered, "And thank you, Sharon for being there on the trip. He may grumble, but he would not have agreed to any of it if he did not enjoy your friendship on some level." She pulled back and smiled, "Make sure you keep him in line at work. Don't let him get away with anything."

Only hearing the last comment Andy rolled his eyes, "Trust me, Liv, she won't." He smiled to Emily and gave her a side hug, "Merry Christmas, Emily. It was really nice to meet you."

"Merry Christmas, Andy," Emily smiled in return. "Be nice to my mom next time you see her. She really isn't that bad."

Andy chuckled, "So, I hear." At that moment a cab pulled up to the curb and he opened the door for his sister to get in first. Andy turned to Sharon, "Well," he began.

Sharon put her hands in her pockets, "I will see you at work, Andy. Merry Christmas."

He smiled softly, "Yeah, Merry Christmas, Sharon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I am an insecure mess these days; work has been iffy, and family members aren't always the kindest. So, truly truly thank you for continuing to read this story. Thank you sweet reviewers for letting me know that at least not everything in my life is completely off. Also, I want to wish every single one of you a very Happy New Year. I hope 2019 brings joy, happiness, empowerment, and strength to all of you. xo


	12. Phone Calls

A couple hours after seeing Andy and Liv off in a taxi, Sharon and Emily returned to the apartment. "That really was a lovely service," Sharon smiled following Emily through the door. "The cathedral alone is breathtaking. I mean we have seen it on a number of occasions, but then the service and the choir?" She paused thoughtfully, "It was all just -."

"Lovely? Perfect?" Emily supplied setting her things on the counter. She turned to her mother, "It really was a perfect evening _all_ around, wouldn't you say?" She lifted one eyebrow expectantly, allowing the question to hang in the air between them.

Sharon nodded and removed her coat, "It was." She turned to the hooks beside the door and hung her coat before walking further into the room. "A surprising evening, too." Sharon wandered to her luggage and busied herself with finding her bathroom bag and pajamas.

Still standing at the kitchen counter Emily grinned as she watched her mother. Sharon had been talkative on the ride home; offering commentary on everything from the service to the lights of the city. However, now she seemed to be lost in her thoughts or avoiding something; her silence now possibly related to the evening as a whole. Emily stepped closer to her mother to break the silence. "So, mom," Emily offered, "Are you ready to wake Ricky up?" Sharon hummed, still lost in her own thoughts and not fully hearing her daughter. "Mom?" Emily called a little louder and stepping even closer. Sharon turned at the question, and her daughter tried again. "Are you ready to call Ricky?"

"Oh, yes, of course," Sharon chuckled lightly. "I'm sorry I didn't hear you." She glanced down to the items in her hands, "Just let me change out of these boots real quick. They are not helping my knee injury."

Emily nodded as Sharon turned to the bathroom. "Okay, sounds like a plan. I will get the laptop and set it up here in the living room. Take your time. Maybe get an ice pack for the knee if you need? We can wait a little longer if you want. I am not tired at all."

"I think the knee will be fine once I get changed. It is not that big of a deal," Sharon replied from the bathroom. "Even though I should be on California time, I am a little tired. It has been a very long day. Let's go ahead and call him now, just to be safe. I do not want to fall asleep before we get the chance to see him for Christmas morning."

While Sharon was getting ready Emily returned to the living room and set the computer up on the coffee table. She opened the Skype app on the dashboard. "Okay,. I will get everything ready. I'm going to go ahead and call him while you're finishing up."

Her mother nodded from the doorway, "Okay, I will be out there in just a second." The green light at the top of the screen came on and the app buzzed with the muffled ringtone as it connected to her brother's account.

The call linked and a sleepy Ricky, complete with ruffled head of unruly hair, popped up on the screen. He rubbed his eyes and croaked, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, little Ricky," Emily giggled at the image. "Did we wake you?"

Ricky opened his eyes and glared, "Nope. I always look like this."

"Well, that is true…" Emily teased. Ricky closed his eyes again. Emily leaned forward and rotated the computer to track her mother as she entered the living room.

"Merry Christmas, baby," Sharon beamed, as she emerged from the bathroom in more comfortable attire.

Ricky reopened his eyes, "Merry Christmas to you too, Mom. You two do realize you could have called me at any point after you wake up today as well. I would not have complained about the extra sleep at all." He leaned forward in this chair and squinted as his mothers moved across the room. "Wait, Mom are you limping?"

Sharon waved off the comment, "Oh it is nothing. Just a small bruise, nothing to worry about."

"Just a small bruise?" Ricky asked as Emily turned the computer back around to face the futon couch. Their mother took the seat beside her on the couch and smiled at the screen. He stared back at his mother skeptically, "It looks painful."

Sharon rolled her eyes, "It is fine, Ricky, really. It is still new, so it is just a little stiff. I am sure it will be fine in the morning. This is not the first time I have fallen, and I am sure it will not be the last."

"You fell?" Ricky looked to his sister, "Em, you are supposed to be taking care of her. She travels all the way-."

"Wait, what? _Supposed to be taking care of her_?" Sharon cut in, "It was just a fall, Ricky. I am not that old, I am perfectly capable-."

Sitting forward Emily interrupted, "Yeah, Ricky she is not _that_ old. What kind of son are you? Insulting her age." She laughed, "Besides, it was not her fault. Andy pulled her down on the ice. I left them alone for maybe five minutes and…" her voice trailed as she eyed her mother playfully.

"Stop, Emily," Sharon sighed brushing off her daughter's comment. "Accidents happen."

Ricky stared between the two waiting for more information. "Wait," he exhaled breaking the silence. "Who is this Andy and where did you leave them?"

Sharon returned her attention to her son and casually replied, "No one. Well, I mean someone from work - a Lieutenant from Major Crimes. He is in the city visiting his sister for Christmas."

"And by some chance you ran into them tonight and he tripped you?" Ricky asked trying to understand the sequence of events.

Emily smiled, "No, but he is in the city. Mom got stuck in a snowstorm with him on the way out here. So, we ended up spending Christmas Eve with him and his sister. Mom says he is one of the troublemakers." She shifted forward in her seat and shrugged, "but he is a very nice man. Even if he is a bit dangerous on skates."

Ricky sat back, "On what? You guys went ice skating on Christmas Eve? Without me? No fair."

" _That_ is the part of this story you are focusing on?" Emily chuckled. She nudged her mother, "See, what did I say? I knew he would be jealous. I didn't even mention the hot chocolates yet."

"Hot chocolates _and_ ice skating? That's not part of the normal routine. We don't do that for Christmas." Ricky whined, "I love ice skating. Of course you two do all of the fun stuff without me."

Sharon grinned, "My poor sweet child, more upset about missing hot chocolates than his mother and sister." She paused to make sure he knew she was kidding, "We can go next year. Even though I am sure you can find a place over there to go ice skating."

"I could," Ricky reasoned, "but it wouldn't be the same." He looked wistfully into the space between them. After a moment he sighed, "Plus, it sounds like I missed the real fun. A family outing and a strange man off ice skating with my mother."

Emily laughed at her brother's skill in bringing the conversation back around, "There he is." She sat forward, "Don't worry little brother, the man isn't that strange." She sat up straighter in an attempt to imitate her mother's earlier nonchalant reasoning, "Besides, _they work together_."

"I see." Ricky grinned and matched his sister's no nonsense tone. He turned to his mother, "And Mother what all does this work relationship entail? Do you frequently spend the holidays with your coworkers? Is there something we should be made aware of? A policy change perhaps?"

"Stop," Sharon interrupted struggling to hold back a laugh at her son's teasing. "We were on the same flight out of LAX. Nothing crazy there, the time fit best with my work schedule. I am sure his schedule was not significantly different. The plane got diverted because of a snowstorm. We decided it would be easier to travel into the City together. The roads were worse than we thought so we had to stop off at a hotel. We woke up and drove the rest of the way today." She paused, "Emily and I met them for dinner this evening, and that's that."

"That's that," Ricky repeated looking to his sister. "Sounds to me like there could be something more to that, wouldn't you say Emily? A whole day of travel?"

His sister laughed, "Careful Ricky, I don't think she's quite ready to discuss this yet. Plus, I would not put it past her to return all of your gifts."

"She already sent them," Ricky smiled, "So I am safe."

Sharon raised her eyebrow at her son and warned, "You think that is all you have to worry about Richard William?"

Emily pressed her lips together and murmured, "Oh the full name has been invoked. Best of luck with that, Ricky."

Sharon slowly rotated in her spot to face her daughter. "You probably should be careful too, Emily dear. I have not given you your presents yet… Maybe not the best idea to test your mother tonight."

"Ohhhh," Ricky called from the computer, "Now who's the one in trouble?"

Emily shot her brother a death glare that had him snapping his mouth shut. She turned back to her mother. "Mom," she exhaled sweetly, "you know we are just teasing you. There is no need to do anything extreme. It's not everyday we get to meet a friend from work…"

"Just go for it, Mom. Be extreme," Ricky chimed in. "I support your decisions on this matter. Let me know if you need my help with showing Emily that she has taken this joke too far."

Sharon pressed her lips into a dangerous smile. "Thank you, Richard, but I do think I have this all under control."

"Right," Ricky answered with a quick salute. "You can handle anything and everything all on your own."

Emily rolled her eyes at the screen. "Suck up," she muttered under her breath.

Sharon smiled again, but decided to end the torture. She turned to her son, "Let's discuss something more important, shall we? How are you, Ricky? How was your Christmas Eve?"

"Well, we did not go ice skating," Ricky drawled. "But we had a fun time. We went to a candlelight church service, sang a few Christmas carols, and then took a carriage ride around the city. It did have a little bit of a Christmas Village feel, so that was kind of perfect."

She held her hands together and hummed, "That all sounds so Christmassy, Ricky. What about today? Do you have any big plans?"

"Maybe. A couple of the other guys and I are going to see about skiing." Ricky rubbed his face, "We have a couple days off still and it has snowed quite a bit."

"Skiing?" Emily quipped, "and you were jealous of ice skating? That is a lot more fun. You had better be careful though, remember what happened last time you went skiing."

Ricky rolled his eyes, "That kid came out of nowhere. It was not my fault."

"Yes," Emily mused, "pesky little things."

Sharon smiled thoughtfully at the comment, "Indeed they are." She turned back to Ricky, "but I thought you skied into a tree?"

"After the kids took me out, Mom," Ricky sighed. "They were flying down the mountain, I had to dodge out of the way to not squash them. Really, it was me risking my own safety to protect the life of a child."

"So noble," Sharon chuckled. "I am surrounded by people who are constantly sacrificing themselves for the greater good."

Emily rolled her head toward her mother, "I was there and remember it differently. He was not that heroic." Ricky eyed his sister challengingly, but before he could get too worked up Sharon rubbed Emily's shoulder to call her off.

Sharon leaned toward the computer, "You just be careful, Ricky, please." She wrapped her arm around Emily's shoulders and pulled her into her side. "And remember to pizza those skis together when you get too close to the trees…" Emily turned her head into her mother's shoulder to muffle her laugh.

"Funny, Mom," Ricky sighed.

Sharon sat up taller and smirked, "I try." She pressed her lips together and dropped her voice to a more serious tone, "But please, Ricky, be careful."

Her son smiled, "I will Mom. You too though," he nodded to her legs. "Be careful out in the big city. Watch out for clumsy strangers."

Sharon shook her head to the side, "I will. Merry Christmas, Ricky."

"Merry Christmas, Mom and you too, sis."

Emily rolled her head back to face the screen. "I will send you some pictures from tonight when I get them downloaded. Have fun with your friends."

"Thanks," Ricky moved his hand toward the track pad of his laptop. "Talk to you two soon. Love you."

"Love you too, Ricky," Sharon replied as the screen went blank. She laid back on the couch and looked over to Emily. "You two are hilarious," she droned. "Just when I think you are all grown up you get together and start bickering like toddlers."

Emily tucked her feet underneath her body and turned to her mother. "It's his fault," she grinned, "he is the one who acts like he is three."

"Of course," Sharon rolled her eyes and chuckled, "So that makes you what, five?"

Her daughter tapped her chin with her finger, "Well, closer to six. Although, he is the one who takes things a little too far. He has always thought of himself as the comedian of the family."

Sharon shook her head to the side and pulled Emily closer. She pushed her lips against her daughter's head, "Be nice to your brother. He has done what he can to keep us smiling."

"I know," Emily sighed. "The big goofball that he is." The two sat in silence for a couple moments before Emily pulled away. "Do you want to put on a movie? Ricky and I already watched Die Hard together last week, but I may have stolen a couple other holiday favorites last summer when I was home."

Sharon smiled as Emily walked across to the room to the television stand. "I was wondering why I suddenly had so much extra storage space in the living room." She smiled to her daughter, "I am glad you two could keep that tradition alive. I am sure he appreciated that."

"It just isn't Christmas until the annual Nakatomi Plaza party, Mom." Emily opened up the cabinet to retrieve the DVDs. "Some traditions are sacred. We would not let something like a little ocean stop us from the more important ones."

Sharon rolled her eyes and sat forward to scoot the laptop to the other side of the table, "John McClane, the unlikely holiday hero." Emily laughed and set the movies out on the table in front of her mother. Sharon leaned forward to examine the selection. "How about Miracle on 34th Street?" She picked up the box and handed it to her daughter, "Let's see if Fred and Kris can convince the Walker's that Santa Claus really does exist."

Emily took the box with a smile, "One of my favorites. Did I tell you we went to the parade this year? It was really fun to see Santa gliding in on his sleigh. Maybe next year I will see about getting a group together to visit him at Macy's."

Sharon sat back and stretched out on the couch. She removed her phone from her pocket and unplugged the one that was sitting on the charger beside the couch. "That sounds lovely. Too bad I was not here sooner; we could have done that as well. Maybe we could take Ricky next year, I mean if we decide to spend Christmas out here again."

She placed the DVD in the player and returned to the couch. "Ricky would love that," Emily cozied up beside her mother and pulled the blanket from the other side of the couch. "I am not complaining about this year though, Mom. I was serious, this has been so much fun. Already very memorable."

Sharon tucked the blanket around them and curled up with her daughter. "It has been," she sighed. As the movie began the two settled in, Sharon already beginning to doze.

_\- A few blocks away -_

"So, Andy," Liv called from her room. "What's the plan for tomorrow?"

Andy shuffled through the living room and dropped onto the couch. "I don't know," he moaned. "Right now I would like to melt into the couch and never have to move again. Maybe wrap a giant ice pack around my entire body for good measure."

Liv laughed at her brother's dramatic response. Rolling her eyes she walked into the living room, "Really?" She probed, her hands resting on her hips. "Your entire body? Haven't you had enough of the ice today?" She smirked, "Besides, I thought it was just your shoulder?"

With his head resting on the back of the couch Andy shifted his eyes up to her, "And my head." He grumbled as he tried to move to a more comfortable position, "Maybe my back too."

"You're getting old," Liv chuckled. "What were you thinking ice skating at your age?"

Andy moved to his side and picked his legs up to stretch out sideways on the couch. "It was not my idea. I never said I wanted to ice skate… but even so, that kid came out of nowhere."

"Sure," Liv sighed walking over to the chair beside the couch. "It is never your fault is it Andrew? Did you ever think the common denominator in all or your accidents could be you?"

He closed his eyes, "It is called an external locust of control. Helps me sleep at night."

"Because that's healthy," his sister hummed. "And I think you mean _locus_ , not locust. Unless you have an imaginary insect friend controlling you or something… in which case I am probably not the best person to be having this conversation with."

Andy rolled his eyes, "Funny, but you know what I meant. In all seriousness, I know I fell. I know I am not the most graceful human being. I accept all responsibility for my current ailments." He paused and shifted again to cushion his head against the couch pillow. "Doesn't mean I have to like it though. Do you think I enjoy being banged up?"

Liv smiled, "No I don't. It would be nice if you could stop getting hurt though. I am a little tired of worrying about you." She paused, "I guess that means I have to take care of the man-child then?"

"You are the best sister in the world," Andy mused in an attempt to make her laugh. "I don't know what I would do without you."

She leaned forward in her seat to remove the pillow from the back of the chair. "Me either," she chirped tossing the pillow at his head, "but that does not mean I have to cater to your every need. You are a big boy, you can take care of yourself."

"Joy," he sighed picking up the pillow and tossing it back in her direction. He sat up slowly, "but, do you have an Advil? A Tylenol? Anything to help cut the pain that will inevitably settle in overnight and make it even more difficult to move in the morning?"

Liv rolled her eyes and stood to walk to the kitchen. "I think I have something, but I don't take that stuff often. I worry about what it does to my organs and such." It was Andy's turn to roll his eyes, but he wisely said nothing. His sister removed a bottle from the cabinet and shook it. "Well, it sounds like there is maybe a dose for tonight. You may need to stop and pick some more up in the morning. The Duane Reade on the corner should be open. If it's not, the Starbucks has Christmas hours. You can at least get us a couple coffees, maybe some croissants, while you are out." She filled a glass with water and returned to the living room.

"Noted," Andy sighed. He sat forward as his sister walked back into the room, and reached out to take the glass and tablets. "Thanks, sis. This is better than nothing."

"You're welcome," she responded retaking her seat beside him. "So, are you going to call your kids tonight?"

Andy tipped his bead back to swallow the pills. He placed the glass down on the table in front of him and shrugged, "Or in the morning." He looked back to the door where he had left his luggage. "My phone needs to be charged first. I am pretty sure that is all that is wrong with it."

Liv stared at the bag as well. When he didn't move she whispered, "Maybe you should plug it in then?"

Andy sighed. He stood and walked across the room. His sister watched as he dug through the pockets. After opening each one he let out a frustrated groan, "Great. It is not even here. I must have left it in the backseat of the rental. I could have sworn I checked back there…" he flipped the suitcase on its side and searched more thoroughly.

From across the room Liv sat forward and picked her purse up from the table. "You could use mine," she offered pulling the phone out of the bag. "We could call them now, or wait until later. Whatever you want to do."

Andy turned to her, "It may be best to use your phone anyways." He walked back across the room, "They're more likely to answer your calls these days."

She rolled her eyes, "That is not true, Andy. Things are changing. They are just out of town with their mother and their stepfather. They love you and they care. They will be happy to hear from you." Liv extended her arm to offer him the phone.

Andy mumbled something to himself, but reached out for the phone, "Let's hope so." He opened the contacts and selected Nicole's name form the list. When it connected, he pressed the speaker icon and held the phone low between the two of them. After a few rings Nicole's voicemail picked up. He sighed and sat forward, "Hey Nic." Andy smiled into the receiver, "It's Dad and your Aunt Liv. Just calling to wish you guys a Merry Christmas. Uh, I will try to call again tomorrow. I hope you all are having a good time out there. Be sure to tell your brother that I called, please. Love you both and um, Merry Christmas, again." He clicked end and leaned back on the couch.

His sister offered a small smile, "We can call again tomorrow. They are probably still at dinner or something."

"Yeah, probably." Andy nodded and forced a smile, "So, do you want to watch a movie or something? Or do you want to call it a night?"

She pressed her lips together in a grin, "We could watch something if you want. We have all day tomorrow to be lazy." She turned on the television and clicked to check out the holiday films on demand. "What sounds good? Let's see they have; A Christmas Story, It's a Wonderful Life _,_ Elf is fun, could always go with White Christmas?"

Andy pursed his lips in consideration as she continued to scroll through the list of popular holiday films, "I don't know, um, what about that one?"

She stopped her scrolling, "Miracle on 34th Street? You always did like Maureen O'Hara. Something about that red hair, hm?" She chuckled. "I haven't seen that one in a while, works for me." Liv made the selection and settled back in the chair.


	13. Wake Up Calls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, I said I was worried about getting this finished before I left... and now it seems like it could happen, but that I also have a couple more ideas left that are taking longer to write than I had imagined... I couldn't sleep this morning, so I was able to get most of this next chapter typed up. :) I hope it works and that no one wants to kill me for taking forever to wrap up this idea that started as a simple tumblr prompt from an anon last month.

A phone buzzing to her right pulled her out of her dreams of ice skating and Christmas trees. The vibration against the table and bright light flashing from the device had her groaning, but reaching out to answer nonetheless. At least the ringer was on silent, she thought to herself, thankful her daughter could continue to sleep in. Emily was only a morning person when she had to be, and Christmas morning was not one of those times.

Without bothering to put on her glasses, or to look at the screen, Sharon fumbled for the green answer icon. "Hello?" she whispered groggily into the receiver, mildly confused as to who would be calling at this hour. The only logical assumption was that her son was repaying the wake up call, but there was also a small chance it was someone from work. Taking into account one of her people could be out late on a case she took a breath to add, "Captain Raydor," but was halted by a grouchy voice on the other end of the line.

"So, you're not dead," the man began not bothering to listen to any response. "Ye' gods, Flynn, I thought you said you would call when you got in. Do you realize how close I was to calling the hospitals?" Confused Sharon pulled the phone away from her ear. She squinted at the phone and took in a heavy breath as she read, _The Idiot_ , across the top of the screen. Sharon flipped the device over in her hand. The case was darker and heavier than she expected. She sighed heavily at the observation; this was not her phone. No, this was the phone that had been plugged into the charger the night before. This was the phone that she had just placed to the side last night without further study. She flipped it over again and stared at the screen, finally realizing what was going on. Somehow Andy Flynn's phone had made it from, "drying out," in the backseat of the rental car to fully functioning in her daughter's apartment.

Sharon thought back to the previous afternoon. Emily had retrieved her bag out of the backseat. The container of cookies had been sitting to the side. Her daughter must have thought the phone had fallen out of the bag as well.

"Uh, hmm? Are you going to say something or not, Flynn?" Lieutenant Provenza's aggravated voice once again carried through the speaker. Sharon almost swiped her thumb across the _end call_ button, but was interrupted once again, "I am just going to keep calling until you answer. For some unknown reason I am awake early and phoning you. I have all day to call back and harass your ass if you do not at least acknowledge the fact that you were supposed to call me when you got to your sister's place."

She bit down on her bottom lip and lifted the phone to her ear. Sharon covered her mouth with her hand to muffle her voice, "Lieutenant," she began in best imitation of Liv's voice. "My brother is still asleep. He got in late, safe, but late. He will have to call you back when he gets up."

"That idiot is still asleep?" Provenza cut in, "It's Christmas morning. I am awake out here, which is all his fault, I might add. Wake him up, I need to yell at someone about this whole situation."

Sharon rolled her eyes at the response, "He will be touched to know you care…"

"Care?" Provenza shot back before she could complete her sentence, "I do _not_ care. He said he would call me." He took a breath to collect himself, "and are you sick? You sound different. I am sorry to hear you are stuck with that man and not feeling well." He paused once again, "Um, Merry Christmas, Olivia. Just have him call me. I guess it can wait for now. After all sleeping beauty needs his rest if you have to deal with him today."

Sharon sighed still muffling her voice, "Indeed. Merry Christmas to you too," she paused briefly to consider how Liv would address him. Taking a breath she smirked and added, " _Louie_. I'll have him call you."

Without waiting for a reply, she pulled the phone away from her ear and pressed _end_. She dropped the phone to the cushion beside her and fell back on the pillows. Running her hand over her face she let out a long breath, silently thinking back to the absurd events of the last couple of days; the same flight, the snowstorm, the road trip, the hotel room, the wake ups, the damaged phone, the dinner, the ice accidents… The universe was having a good time with this one.

She rolled to her side and looked at the phone again. At least it was not permanently damaged after his fall. Sharon reached for the device and pressed her lips together in a thin line as she considered her options of what to do next. He would need his phone at some point, but it was still a little early to call and wake up his sister. Sharon glanced toward Emily's bedroom door. She vaguely remembered her daughter shifting off of the couch a few hours ago and turning off the television. Emily had stayed awake through the end of the film, but Sharon only remembered watching to the point where Kris Kringle told them he had his own Santa suit. As she had predicted her tired body had succumbed to sleep as soon as she had allowed herself to relax. Her daughter had outlasted her, but now she deserved some rest.

Picking up the phone, Sharon rotated to sit up on the couch. She felt like she could have slept a little longer, but now that she was up and aware of the phone situation she was going to have a difficult time falling back to sleep. Rolling the phone between her hands she had to laugh at the fact that she only barely dodged an early morning interrogation and subsequent Christmas confession with Lieutenant Provenza. She chuckled lightly and looked down at the phone in her hands, _what a holiday_.

As she continued to stare at the device the display flashed, _Two New Messages,_ across the screen. Instinctually Sharon clicked on the icon, temporarily forgetting that this was not her phone and that they were not her messages. Before she could close it down again, the name 'Nicole' popped up on the screen, followed by the texts: " _Merry Christmas, Dad!"_ and _"Hope Aunt Liv is being nice to you. Tell her hi and Merry Christmas from me_."

A soft smile spread across her face at the messages. Andy would appreciate the fact that his daughter had reached out to him on Christmas. Sharon has assumed that his kids would at least say something, but she also knew Andy had a rocky relationship with his family and he was worried. She smiled again and pushed a couple buttons on the phone to search through his contacts. She found his sister's address, and was happy to note that the other woman lived nearby. Since Emily was still asleep Sharon thought it would be okay to drop it by the Liv's building. She could at least leave the phone with the security guard in the lobby if nothing else. Emily would be asleep for a couple more hours, so she had time to make the trip.

As Sharon stood to get ready her swollen knee shot a slight twinge up her leg. The injury convinced her to take a cab over to Liv's apartment building, and then perhaps she would stop for coffee on the way home. Emily would definitely appreciate a festive Peppermint Mocha to drink while they opened their Christmas presents.

— _A few blocks away —_

Andy was awake significantly earlier than he had planned. After dozing on and off during the movie he had moved to the bed in his sister's guest room. His already sore body would not have survived a full night on the couch, no matter how comfortable it was or how tired he had been. Even the bed had done little to prevent his stiff shoulder and sore lower back from waking him up early on a day off.

Rolling slowly onto his side he groaned at the time - 7:30 was too early today. He was used to running on only a few hours of sleep. He was even used to nursing an injury or two from time to time. However, today he had wanted to enjoy the holiday and to sleep in a little later than normal. The past couple days of travel and falls had worn him out. Also, he knew he would get very little rest tomorrow on his late afternoon flight home. In the bed, Andy pulled the comforter up around his neck to try to get comfortable once again, but his body had other plans. The position on his side aggravated his back, and if he tried to roll onto the other side his shoulder would pinch. He groaned to himself, no he was going to have to just get up and to get moving.

Shifting slowly he dropped his feet to the floor and stretched his upper body before standing. He stepped lightly through the room and into the hallway. His sister's bedroom door was still closed, and there was no sound from the other side. Andy contemplated waking her up, but even if they were adults now she was still mean when provoked. Instead, he rubbed a hand over his face and twisted his neck to the side. During the stretch he caught sight of a red piece of paper propped up on the coffee table. He wandered into the living room and picked up the note.

" _Good Morning Old Man,_  
 _Merry Christmas! Do not under any circumstances think about waking me up. Trust me, it will not be fun. I may be older, but can still take you. However, if you are up early and decide that you need to go to the store for meds… I would not say no to a coffee that was something maybe - pepperminty, chocolatey, and covered in sprinkles._  
 _Love, Me_  
 _P.S. Don't forget the pastries. (The cranberry ones are festive.)"_

Andy rolled his eyes at her threat and request, but still smiled. Walking back into his room he decided to get dressed and head out. He would be able to rest much easier for the rest of the day with another dose of anti-inflammatories and a coffee.

After getting ready he took the elevator downstairs to the lobby. When the elevator doors opened he stepped out to see Sharon standing at the desk. He stopped to listen in as she continued to speak with the guard at the door.

"Could you just please see that they get this?" She confirmed handing over a phone. "I did not want to wake them this morning, and I am sure they will notice it is missing before long."

The guard took the phone, "I will ma'am. Now, could I please have your information for the log?"

"I'm not trying to visit," she began.

"It's okay," Andy stepped forward and nodded to the guard. "I will take it."

The guard looked up, "And you are?"

Andy removed his wallet from his pocket to retrieve his ID, "I am Andy Flynn. Guest of Olivia Flynn, or it could be under Martin. Apartment #901N." He handed the card over and waited for the guard to confirm his information.

Sharon smiled softly as they stood side-by-side in silence watching the guard double check the list from the last shift. Verifying the photo and the signature he handed the ID back to Andy, "I'm sorry, sir, thank you."

"No need to apologize," Andy reasoned retrieving the card and gesturing toward the phone on the desk. "I appreciate you taking the time to make sure I was not a whacko. Could I have that now, please?"

The guard picked up the phone, "Yes, here you are, sir. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Andy nodded before turning to Sharon. He moved his hand to the side to direct her to the other side of the lobby. When they were out of immediate earshot of the guard he held his phone in front of him, "Thank you. I did not know you had this. You didn't have to come all the way over here this morning, but thank you."

Sharon shrugged her shoulders, "I know. I, um, well, I did not know Emily had picked it up." She paused and forced a smile, "She must have grabbed it thinking it had fallen out of my tote in the backseat. It is working though. She plugged it in yesterday when we got upstairs. It appears that your little slip up on the ice did not do any permanent damage."

"My little slip up?" He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. He cringed lightly as his hand ran over the bump that had formed overnight, "I guess that is what I would call that one. The second slip up though? Not so little. My head is still killing me."

At his action Sharon reached up and brushed her hand against the back of his head, just beside his hand. "I'm sorry," she hummed, her eyes focused her hand. Not expecting her to reach for him, he momentarily froze at the touch. She noticed the shift in the air and immediately pulled her hand back. She tucked it into her coat pocket and looked around the room. "Well," she sighed turning back to him, "I mean, that's not good. I am sorry you are still hurt. Did your sister have anything for the pain?"

"She did, but only a couple tablets." He stepped back and covered the awkwardness with a grin, "She does not believe in _those_ kinds of medications and told me I was on my own for today's doses."

Sharon chuckled lightly, "On your own? That sounds about right." She angled her body toward the door, "Is that where you were going? I don't want to keep you. I was just bringing the phone by on my way for coffees. Um, it rang this morning, your phone that is. Uh, your partner may need to speak with you soon."

Andy dipped his head back and groaned, "I didn't call him when we got in. I am sure that will be a fun conversation." He forced a laugh, "The old man acts like he could not care less, but he worries. Just a big teddy bear."

"I would say so, but I would probably not go as far as to call him a teddy bear," Sharon smiled. "I accidentally answered, and well, he was a little irritated with the lack of communication on your part."

He let out a steady breath before gesturing to the phone. "You answered? Oh geez."

"I did," Sharon confirmed. "Like I said, it was early and I did not know your phone was at the apartment. I think I convinced him I was Liv, but who knows."

Andy shook his head to the side, "You probably did. He has only spoken to her on occasion. I am sure he was more upset about not getting to yell at me than to question who he was speaking with."

"Let's hope," Sharon gently exhaled. The two stood in silence for a moment before she pointed to the phone, "Um, there was another message as well. I am sorry, but I was not thinking clearly and I opened the text messages when the alert popped up." He lifted the phone to view the screen. She bit down uncomfortably on her bottom lip as he selected the most recent message. She watched his eyes light up upon seeing the texts from his daughter. Sharon dropped her voice to an encouraging whisper, "Even though she was not here, she still made a point to wish you a Merry Christmas."

Andy swallowed the lump that had begun to form in his throat, "Yeah." He beamed typing out a message, "She is a good kid."

Sharon stood in front of him as he sent his reply. She smiled, "Seems like it."

Andy nodded again and dropped his phone into his pocket. He smiled up to Sharon, "What were we talking about? You were getting coffee?"

She chuckled softly at his excitement. "I was, or I am. Emily is still asleep so I thought I would drop the phone off here for you, and then pick up coffee on my way back to her apartment. She will probably still be out, but the coffee should at least help her to be okay with the wake up call."

"Liv is that way too." Andy pulled his sister's note out of his pocket, "She even left me a request before she went to bed."

Sharon laughed as she read over the piece of paper. "Pepperminty and chocolatey?" She hummed, "I really can see why my daughter and your sister became such fast friends." She handed the note back to him with a smile. "If nothing else can be said about this strange holiday, at least Emily has a new person in the city."

"True. My sister is a fun one to have around. Everyone loves her," Andy smiled gesturing to the door. "Well, since they are both asleep, um, what do you say to walking that way?"

She pressed her lips together in thought. Two days ago the answer would have been no, but now it did not seem like the worst idea. "Fine," she shrugged stepping toward the door, "but only if you promise not to injure me along the way. I am already a little gimpy on this knee, and I would like to return to Los Angeles in one piece."

Andy held up his hands in defense. "I promise to be careful, and if I fall I will do my best not to bring you down with me." He stepped toward the door and held it open for her.

She rolled her eyes at his jest, and stood in front of him pretending to weigh her options. "Okay, deal. Let's go grab a coffee." She walked through the door ahead of him and turned to the left. "Are we stopping for headache relief first, or are we going directly to the coffee shop?"


	14. Coffee Date

The walk down to the corner did not take long. Luckily, the store was open and had a variety of medications in stock to hopefully help with his aches. While Sharon waited by the door Andy picked up a few other small items before checking out and following her back outside.

"Were you two planning on doing anything else today?" He asked strolling up beside Sharon at the street crossing.

They waited for traffic to slow and stepped away from the curb. "Well," she considered, "I guess plans are dependent on how we feel today. I am ready for anything Emily wants to do. I don't want to waste any of the trip if she has plans to get back out. She may want to stay in and catch up. Unfortunately, I fly out tomorrow afternoon, so we do not have a lot of time left. We lost out on some of our time together when the plans for yesterday, like going to the ballet, were missed. If Emily is up for it I was considering maybe a short walk around Central Park." She paused as they reached the other side of the street and turned to eye him playfully, "but not ice skating in the park. I think we are good on ice for the trip, maybe even the year." He smirked at her joke as she continued. "If we did that then we may also stop in at the Plaza in the afternoon for a bite to eat. We will just have to see how the day goes, I guess. There aren't as many options activity-wise on Christmas day." Sharon made the move to step around a melting puddle on the sidewalk, "What about -" but mid-question the heel of her boot skimmed a slick spot and slipped out from underneath her.

Andy swiftly reached out to help her balance and she wrapped both of her arms around his extended elbow to stay upright. When she was stable again, Andy chuckled still allowing her to hang on, "And what was the deal about falling?"

"Very funny," she sighed, standing taller. She let out a calming breath and tightened her arm around his as a response to his quick action and her wobbly leg. She jostled their bound arms and muttered, "Thanks." Sharon took a cautious step forward, a little worried the near wipe out could have reinjured her knee. When it did not seem to be any worse she turned toward him, "Apparently these shoes are not even practical for the city. I guess that is two strikes against fashionable riding boots and the winter elements."

Andy grinned, "I was not going to say anything, but since you brought it up." His voice trailed teasingly as she took another careful step forward. He stayed at her side, their linked arms not being addressed by either one of them, as they made sure she was okay to continue on with their walk.

Convinced her knee was fine, Sharon rolled her eyes at his comment. "You weren't going to say anything?" She stared up at him suspiciously, "You mean you weren't going to take advantage of this rare occasion to point out that you were once again right about my choice of footwear?" He pressed his lips together unsure of how to reply. Before he could worry about how to not say the wrong thing her face broke into a smile, "I was playing with you Andy. Although, pleasantly surprised that you were not quick to call me out. I guess sometimes people do change."

"Like I said," Andy smirked, "I'm full of surprises."

Staring out ahead, she smiled again, "So I hear." They continued to walk together along the sidewalk, "but really thanks for helping. I do think the whole falling bit has gotten a little tired. This would make for a very cheesy film if the writer continued to use the same clumsiness to push the plot along. Wouldn't you say?"

Andy chuckled, "I agree. Even if the snow and ice are apparently out to get us."

"At least I did not pull _you_ down with me," Sharon laughed awkwardly, the conversation beginning to grow stale. She glanced down to their linked arms and stopped her laughter. She slowly pulled hers out of his space and tucked her hands into her pockets. Walking forward she let out another uncomfortable chuckle, "We do not need anymore opportunities for injuries, especially while we are on vacation." She shifted her gaze to the path ahead and mumbled wistfully, "No one wants to get hurt." With his arm free, he dropped it to his side, and continued to walk beside her. Her comment left hanging in the air between them.

Temporarily unsure of what to say to break the stilted silence, Sharon worried her teeth over her bottom lip. As she inhaled to offer a random comment on the change in the weather, Andy stepped to the side to turn the corner. He nodded down the next street. "This way," he offered, his arm outstretched to hover just behind her as a guide toward the shop entrance. He directed her two doors down, "It is right over here." He stepped to the door and opened it for her.

Sharon smiled softy as she walked ahead of him into the coffeehouse. There were a few people in the cafe area, but not the normal high-paced New York City morning crowd. Andy and Sharon queued at the back of the modest line to wait their turn to order.

As the line moved ahead, Andy turned to her. "Are you going straight back to Emily's, or were you going to sit and drink your own coffee first?" He asked before deciding what to order. The person ahead moved away and they stepped to the register.

She considered his question for a moment and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I had planned on taking a cab back with the drinks, and waking Emily up when I arrived at her place." She swiveled her head to survey the seating options, "but I guess I could stay. Emily would not mind an extra half hour or so. We could sit here and then I will just order her drink before we leave."

Andy dipped his head toward her, "You don't have to say yes if you don't want to. I just did not want to assume one way or the other. I could stay. Liv will also enjoy the extra sleep. She pushed herself pretty hard last night. I was considering sitting here for a little while, you know taking in the city." He grinned, "but you do not have to hang around just because I asked."

Sharon pressed her lips into a subtle smile and looked around the shop once again. "I could stay for a little while," she reasoned. "It is either sit here or sit at her place waiting for her to wake up enough to be ready for the rest of the day."

"Okay, works for me," Andy grinned and turned to the cashier. "Morning, I'll have a medium," he stopped to scan the menu board, "or you guys call it, um."

"A grande," the barista supplied pressing a button on the screen and taking a sixteen-ounce cup from the stacks to the left. The kid held the cup up in front of him to indicate the size.

Andy nodded, "Okay, a grande," he paused again and tried to search for a familiar drink, "coffee. Do you guys just have plain coffee?

"We do," the employee replied with a strained smile. "We have two different blends brewing today: Pike and our signature Christmas blend. If you want something a little richer, Americanos are always available. They are made with the espresso roast."

A little overwhelmed with the options Andy gestured toward the espresso bar, "Okay I will just be simple and have one of those, an Americano."

The kid pressed another button and picked up a sharpie to mark the cup. "Any room for cream? And what is the name for the cup?"

"Um, _room for_ , maybe?" Andy responded, unprepared for the additional questions. The barista made a mark on the side of the cup, and looked expectantly at him for the rest of the information. "Oh, it's Flynn." Beside him Sharon held back a smile. He caught sight of her smirk and rolled his eyes. "I usually do coffee at home or at work, or Buzz makes the coffee run. There are too many options here."

She laughed lightly, but said nothing. The kid cut in, "Will that be all of you, Mr. Flynn?" He set the cup down on the line and returned his attention to the computer. The barista glanced toward Sharon, his movements asking if she was part of the order.

Andy pulled out his wallet and nodded to her, "Yes, that and whatever she is ordering."

Sharon shook her head, "It's okay, Andy. I can get my own."

"Don't worry about it," Andy waved her off, "It is on me. You brought my phone over early when you didn't have to. Plus, it is only a few dollars. It's my treat."

Sharon pursed her lips and shifted her eyes from Andy to the barista and back, "Okay." She stepped forward, "I will have a double tall, nonfat, light whip, Cinnamon Dolce latte, please." The barista entered in the information and began to fill in the boxes on the side of the cup. Sharon smiled softly and leaned in with her fingers pinched together, "Oh and could you add a _smidge_ of caramel drizzle on top?"

Beside her Andy watched the kid nod and place the cup behind his on the to-be-made line. He turned his head to her, "Was that English? How did you do that? And actually, what did you do?" He chuckled, "I thought Provenza was fancy with his silly vanilla lattes."

Sharon smirked, "I normally drink their Joy tea this time of year, but I am still a little tired and," she shrugged nonchalantly, "it's Christmas. The sugar and caffeine should help for the day. Ricky usually orders these sweet things, but really it is pretty tasty."

He arched an eyebrow in her direction, "I'll take your word for it." He returned his attention to the register to pay. While he took care of their drinks Sharon nudged his shoulder and indicated with a nod that she was going to find a table for them. He nodded in return and watched her walk across the café. When he turned back to the register he glanced at the display case and added a couple pastries to the order to snack on for breakfast.

A few steps away, Sharon grabbed a couple napkins from the condiment bar and continued across the room. She secured a tall table by the window, looking out across an area that still had some white snow piled to the side. As she got situated in the chair, her back to the register, Andy appeared with two plates.

"I added a couple of extra things to the order," he explained setting the treats down on the table. "My sister said cranberry was festive."

Sharon smiled down to the items, "Indeed it is. These look delicious."

"This is, um, a cranberry bliss bar," he pointed to the red and white sprinkled brownie item, "and this is the cranberry orange scone. They were the only cranberry things. I figured we could eat something with the drinks. If you don't want either of them I will take them back to my sister's place with me." He nodded down to the plates as an offer for her to try one.

She smiled and broke a piece of the scone away, "These are perfect. I like cranberry. Thank you, Andy."

"You're welcome, Sharon," he hummed as he watched her take a bite.

"Flynn, I have your grande Americano and grande Cinnamon Dolce ready at the bar," a voice echoed through the room pulling his attention away from their table.

Sharon shifted to stand, but he quickly put his hand out and took a step back, "I'll get them." She nodded and took another bite of the scone. She watched him move across the room, once again struck by the odd circumstances they had found themselves in. The holiday had not gone as expected, but it had not been awful. The snowstorm could have ruined everything, but it had only delayed them a day. The road trip could have been treacherous, or even volatile, but on this side of things it had actually been enjoyable. Even the ridiculous sleeping arrangements had not ruined the trip, and now looking back she was actually kind of thankful for the situation. She truly had enjoyed meeting his sister and getting to know him outside of work.

For years she had kept her personal life separate from her professional life, but this trip had it all mingled together and the world had not ended. Andy was surprisingly considerate of the situation, and had gone out of his way at times to make sure everyone was comfortable. Being friends with a hot-tempered trouble-finder like Andy Flynn had seemed like the most ridiculous thing a few days ago, but now she felt like she may miss the friendship when they returned to their real lives. There was something about the holiday that was making it feel as though this was not just a random occurrence; or like she could-.

"Sharon. Um, Sharon?" Andy repeated a little louder, pulling her out of her thoughts. He smiled softly as she glanced up at him, her eyes still slightly vacant as she hummed in reply. "Here's your latte thing," he motioned handing it to her before taking his own seat.

She shook herself out of her thoughts one more time and reached for the cup, "Oh, sorry. Thank you." After she took the drink, she removed the lid to allow it to cool on the table.

Andy eyed the coffee with the whipped cream, caramel drizzle, and cinnamon dolce powder topping. "Wow, that is a Christmas treat. Looks like something Provenza would definitely order if he knew how." He glanced between the two different drinks, "Not going to lie, I wish I had ordered it too."

Sharon smirked at his somewhat jealous expression as his eyes stared longingly at her cup. She lifted the drink to her lips and casually shrugged, "That is unfortunate. You will just have to be smarter next time, or ask for help." She took a sip and made an exaggerated hum of contentment, "it's really good. You definitely missed out."

His mouth dropped slightly at the sarcastic response. "You're hilarious, Raydor."

"That is what I have been told, Flynn." She took another sip in an effort to hide her amusement. He rolled his eyes at the tease, and lifted his own drink to cover his smirk at the playful exchange.

The brief silence was interrupted once again, but this time by a buzz from his phone. Andy retrieved the device from his pocket and glanced at the screen. He sighed heavily as he flashed it in her direction, "Speak of the devil." Sharon leaned forward and let out a soft laugh as she read, _The Idiot_ , scrolled across the screen. Andy flipped it back around and stared at the phone, unsure if he wanted to answer or to let it go to voicemail.

"You may want to answer it," Sharon recommended. "He was feisty this morning and will probably just keep calling back. I am surprised he was able to wait this long before waking you up to - what did he say?" Sharon thought back to the early morning conversation and smirked, " _Harass your ass_."

Andy sighed and rolled his eyes, "Such a pleasant old man."

"Old? Well, he is your friend," she laughed, "and he does seem to care."

He shook his head to the side and pressed the answer icon. Andy lifted the phone to his ear, "What do you want?"

"So, you have decided to grace the world with your presence today?" Came his partner's gruff voice over the line, "A Christmas miracle for us all."

Andy made an unimpressed face at Sharon who only smiled in amusement and took another sip of her drink. "Merry Christmas to you too, Provenza."

"Yeah, yeah, Merry Christmas," the other man huffed. "Why in the hell didn't you call me yesterday? You're the idiot who decided to drive on those roads, and then you didn't have the decency to let me know if I needed to put in for a new partner or not. I told you, Flynn, I do not have time to train anyone else."

He rolled his eyes and groaned, "Heaven forbid you would ever have to face that kind of hardship." Sharon arched an eyebrow in question, but Andy shrugged her off. She nodded, understanding his unspoken – _Provenza being Provenza_ – gesture. Andy glanced out the window as he added, "I got in yesterday afternoon, but my phone wasn't working. It was -."

"Yesterday afternoon?" The Lieutenant interrupted. "I thought your sister said you did not get in until late last night?"

Andy looked back across the table at Sharon. She leaned forward in her chair trying to figure out what they were saying. He stared at her with a bit of confusion, "She said that? Well, she was right. I mean late yesterday afternoon _your_ time. It was too late here to think about calling. I was beat."

"I see," Provenza hummed. "And yesterday the _we_ – being you and the car?" The man recapped from their conversation on the road. "I feel like there is something else going on Flynn… and since when does your sister know my first name? That is privileged information and I have never even met the woman in person, only briefly on the phone for health updates. Come to think of it, she did sound like she was coming down with something. Didn't sound like a Fl-."

Andy furrowed his eyebrows and chimed in to interrupt his partner's thoughts, "She called you Louie?" He glanced across the table to see Sharon's eyes widen at her realization that she had misspoken earlier. "Well, I am sure I have mentioned your name in the past. It's not exactly a State Secret _Louie,_ even if you want to pretend like it is," Andy stammered. "I am sure she was just being nice after you woke her up. That nice thing - being a foreign concept for you, I'm sure."

"That's not true, Flynn. I am nice," his partner bellowed into the phone. "What has got you so moody? You're acting stranger than usual."

Andy sat back in his seat, "Me? Moody? That's a little pot calling the kettle right there. Wouldn't you say?" He looked to Sharon again and rolled his eyes. "Look, Provenza. I am here today, and I will be there tomorrow evening. You know my itinerary and you know I am alive. Please let me enjoy my Christmas in peace, it's not like I go away all of the time. You can survive a little longer without me."

"Fine," he grumbled, "and did you just imply that I cannot survive without you? That is so far from the truth I am not even going to dignify it with a response. Besides, just so you know, Flynn, I am not being moody. You are the one who is not answering your phone and then making up bizarre stories to explain yourself. There is something going on out there. If I cared at all I would try to figure it out, but you're right it is Christmas and I have to go and see the grandkids. Just stay out of trouble."

Andy nodded, "Will do. Bye." He hung up the phone and set it down on the table in front of him. "Well," he shrugged running his hand over his face, "that went well. He is always so friendly."

Sharon smirked, "Glad to know it is not just me he likes to argue with. You two are quite the pair."

"Hey now," Andy grumbled, placing his hand over his chest with sincerity. "I only argue when I am wronged. He will moan and groan about anything and everything."

She hummed, "I see. Totally different," and took a sip of her drink.

He gave her a skeptical look over the rim of his own drink. "It is, you should know that -."

"It's always Provenza's fault," Sharon teased finishing the sentence for him. "I think I have picked up on that over the years. You're always completely innocent." She laughed, "even if you're the only one involved."

Andy sat across quietly considering what to say next as she continued to laugh at her joke and his sullen expression. When her breathing leveled out he slanted his head toward her, "Are you done?" She closed her mouth to fight off the last chuckle and nodded. "I was actually about to say something about the fact that you should know I only argue because it is fun. Not like him, who does it to be an ass."

"Oh really," she sighed, fighting a smile. "You think it's fun to call me names and to risk your job? Interesting."

Andy shrugged and lifted his cup to his mouth. "Well, not when you put it that way, but as a diversion, yes. Very few people get as riled up about regulations and proper procedure as you. It is much more entertaining to bother you than it is to sit and watch Provenza do a crossword... or to take bets on what the Chief will do when the Ding Dongs are gone."

"Entertaining to get me riled up?" Sharon mocked still trying to keep up the playful banter, "I feel like you may want to rethink that terminology. That makes it sound like twenty years of toeing the line was actually some strange version of schoolyard flirting..."

Andy sat back and sighed, "Not quite twenty years," and took a sip of his coffee.

She paused mid sentence and awkwardly watched him drink his coffee. Suddenly unsure of the direction of the conversation she glanced down to the watch on her wrist. "I think it's getting late," she mumbled. "I want to get back to Emily's before she wakes up and sees I've been gone for a while." Sharon pushed her chair back from underneath the table and shouldered her purse.

Across from her Andy moved to stand as well, "I'm sorry Sharon I was just -."

"It's not that, Andy. I need to get back to Emily." Sharon took a step toward the register, "I'll just order her Peppermint Mocha first. I will get Liv one too. That way you get the order right. It is pepperminty and chocolatey. I'll make sure they add the chocolate curls too." She offered him a soft smile and walked back to the register. He remained and the table bagged the remaining pieces of their unfinished treats. As he watched her walk away he began to go over the last parts of their exchange. It had been bits and pieces of their usual banter, minus the snark that generally described their work meetings, but still them. He sighed to himself and turned from the table. Sharon was picking up the drinks at the bar and motioned him toward the door. He nodded and joined her, hoping that the awkwardness would be gone by the time a cab arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I am heading to the airport this morning and failed at moving this story along before I left. My travel plans have changed slightly. I will still be in Florida, but I will more than likely have time to write most of the next chapter... I get back late Sunday, so fingers crossed it will not be too long of a wait xx.


	15. Up to

Sharon arrived back at the apartment a couple hours later than she had originally planned. Still, she was not surprised to find Emily still in bed. It appeared as if her daughter had awoken at some point, but then took the opportunity for some extra sleep. Sharon smiled to herself as she moved into the bedroom and sat on the edge of Emily's bed. The shift in pressure to the mattress pulled her daughter out of her dozing.

"Mom?" She whispered groggily, "What time is it?"

Sharon smiled at her daughter's soft sleep filled voice, "It's almost lunch time."

"Seriously?" Emily wondered moving slowly to sit up against the headboard, "You really let me sleep in. Another change in tradition."

"I guess so," Sharon chuckled handing Emily the hot drink. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart."

Emily took the cup, her eyes dancing with excitement at the surprise treat. She caught a whiff of the peppermint and smiled, "Merry Christmas to you too, Mom. And thank you for this. Extra sleep and my favorite drink? I so love it. I am down for these new traditions, best Christmas ever."

"I think I am coming around to that way of thinking," Sharon chuckled as Emily took a sip of her coffee. "It has at least been a very memorable one." She took her eyes away from her daughter to look thoughtfully out the window.

Emily brought the cup down between both hands as she studied her mother's far off smile. "So, um, mother," she cooed. "What all have you been up to this morning?"

"Up to?" Sharon repeated pulling her eyes back to Emily.

Her daughter lifted the coffee into the air. "Yes up to. There is just one coffee. Didn't you get yourself a drink? Usually you at least get a tea. It's hard to resist getting something while you're there. So, where have you been all morning?" Emily grinned, "I know it can be pretty noisy here in the City, but I could have sworn I heard you getting ready hours ago." Sharon stared at her daughter for a moment as her mind replayed the end of her morning…

_While Sharon picked up the to-go coffees Andy bagged up the extra pastries and met her outside the coffee shop. At the curb he lifted his free hand in the air to call for a taxi cab. The streets were beginning to fill up, but there were still a number of cabs accepting passengers. As the vehicle pulled to a stop in front of them Sharon nodded her thanks and handed him his sister's beverage._

_Andy opened the backdoor of the cab for her and stepped to the side. "Well, um, Sharon thanks," he stammered. He held the cup up slightly in front of him. "Thanks for the getting this for Liv, but also thanks for the other stuff, like returning my phone. I am sorry my partner woke you up this morning."_

" _I'm sorry I answered," Sharon awkwardly chuckled in an attempt to lighten the increasingly tense mood between them. "Especially if I misspoke and put you in a strange position with him. Even if this whole vacation, holiday thing, is perfectly innocent. I mean it really is just two friends traveling together for the sake of convenience, but still I am sorry for adding to any potential stress between the two of you."_

_He hummed in agreement, but did not draw attention to her choice of wording. She had been growing more uncomfortable as their time together increased. The strange friendship they had effortlessly transitioned into was not something she had planned. One thing he knew about her was that she preferred a plan, or at least guidelines. This trip had them each dropping their professional, Captain and Lieutenant personas, and both the Sharon and Andy parts of their selves were somewhat unsure of how to proceed._

_Sharon smiled in appreciation as he held the door for her. She stepped toward the door and he reached out to her with the hand that held the pastry bags. "Oh, wait, here," he paused dropping one of the bags into her purse. "Take this one for Emily. I know it is not much, but still I have this bar thing for Liv and we don't need them both." Sharon's eyes followed his movement toward her purse as he deposited the item. Afterward, he brushed his hand across her arm to guide her into the car. With his hand against her elbow he squeezed her arm gently and smiled, "Merry Christmas to both of you, Sharon. Really." He paused a let out a small sigh, "Is it wrong to say that I am almost thankful we ran into a little snow on the trip? This has really been an enjoyable holiday."_

_At the pressure on her elbow Sharon closed her eyes briefly before opening them to meet his gaze. The sincerity in his eyes had her stepping toward him. "I think I am too," she leaned into him in an almost friendly hug and when she was close she whispered, "Merry Christmas to you too Andy." As she pulled away, she slowly brushed her lips across his cheek before closing her eyes and turning into the car._

_As she turned to sit, Andy stood motionless with his free hand on the doorframe. In the backseat Sharon sat forward in the seat and gave the cab driver Emily's address. The driver put the car into gear and glanced back to Andy and called, "In or out, buddy?" The question shook Andy out of his momentarily stunned state. He took a step backward as he pushed the car door closed. The cab pulled away leaving Andy alone on the curb._

In the living room Sharon delicately touched her fingers to her lips recalling the goodbye. Across from her Emily smirked, "Mom?" The younger woman leaned forward and tapped on her mother's knee, "Hey, mom? Are you going to answer my question?"

Sharon shook her head slightly and refocused her attention on her daughter. She shifted in her spot and exhaled softly, "I'm sorry, Em. What was the question?"

"Where have you been all morning?" Emily repeated. "It took you a couple of hours to get my coffee, and it seems you already finished yours…"

Sharon stood up and smiled down to her daughter, "I drank mine while I waited. It was a nice morning and I thought you would appreciate some extra rest." Emily gazed back her skeptically, but Sharon ignored the look at took a step away from the bed. "What were you wanting to do today? The sun is out and it has turned into a really lovely day. We could go to the park, or The Plaza, or back to Fifth Avenue. Whatever you want to do, I am ready for anything."

"Smooth, Mother, very smooth," Emily teased removing her covers to stand. Sharon casually rolled her eyes and moved out of her daughters way. Emily stood to cross the room, glancing at her phone on the nightstand, "I am going to get ready, maybe we can head toward the Park. We can play it by ear after that." Sharon stood by the door about to return to the living room as Emily added, "but I may also have some more questions. You seemed to go off into your own little world just now. It really makes me wonder what that early morning phone call was about?" Her daughter arched an eyebrow in her mother's direction and glided the rest of the way across her room to the bathroom.

At the bedroom door Sharon froze and pivoted slowly, "What phone call?"

"So, it wasn't a phone call around 7 this morning?" Emily probed, "were you talking in your sleep or something? Because I definitely thought you were chatting with someone."

Sharon crossed her arms loosely around her middle. "Oh, that phone call, nothing special. It was a work situation."

"A work situation in the city? Twenty-eight hundred miles from work?" Emily beamed from the bathroom door. "Must have been pretty important for you to leave the apartment right away, and then to be gone for hours..." she turned into the bathroom as her voice trailed.

A little flustered, Sharon walked across the room. She leaned against the bathroom doorframe and shook her head, "Well, it was a work situation, Em."

"Good to know," Emily smiled, taking out her toothbrush and toothpaste. "I mean it's not like you have any friends in the city you were going to see this morning." She uncapped the toothpaste and eyed her mother in the bathroom mirror. "Or at least no one you thought was your friend."

— _Back outside the coffee shop_ —

Andy stood and watched until her taxi was out of view. He tucked his free hand in his pocket and slowly turned in the direction of his sister's place. The morning had taken an unexpected turn, and he was silently kicking himself for not reacting faster. He had been caught off guard. One second she was teasing him, another she was running away, and the next she was wishing him a Merry Christmas.

Over the years Lieutenant Flynn and Captain Raydor had had their fair share of encounters. Some of them had been more volatile than others, but all more or less innocent. Although, her describing their confrontations as _schoolyard flirting_ had been a bit of a surprising reveal this morning. Sure he had enjoyed baiting her, maybe even seeking out a discussion or two when he was having a rough time with something else, but he had not been aware of anything more between them. She never let alone that perhaps she sensed his use of it as an outlet.

Thinking back, over the years he did enjoy the fact that she never resorted to cheap digs at his personal failures to "win" one of their arguments. She always fought fair, and that had been a refreshing change to the discussions, or situations, he often found himself in with most of the other people in his life. There were days he may have been too much, but she never faltered. She never held anything against him, and despite his argumentative nature she always stuck to the rules. She did not allow personal issues to cloud her judgment; a somewhat uncommon trait. He had always assumed she disliked him as much as the rest of the department seemed to dislike her, but that she did not care. Which was a bit silly, since she was as human as the rest of them.

Andy opened his sister's apartment and walked inside, still going over the morning's events, and the years of professional acquaintance. "You were gone for a while?" His sister's voice greeted him from the living room area as he closed the front door behind him. "I was beginning to wonder if I should worry or not."

Andy handed her the coffee, "Why would you worry? I can take care of myself, mostly." He shot her a quick grin to exaggerate his tease. "I even brought you something pepperminty and Christmassy. I bet the sprinkles melted though."

Liv smiled and took a sip of the beverage. "Oh this is delicious. Thank you, Andy." She took another sip before adding, "Merry Christmas, do you want to use my phone try the kids again?"

"That's all right," Andy waved off her comment and walked over to the sofa and sat down. "Nic texted me last night, and I was able to reply this morning. She said to wish you Merry Christmas as well... and to make sure you were nice to me."

"She said that?" Liv asked skeptically.

Andy nodded and let out a chuckle at his sister's expression. "She did. She knows how mean you can be. I told her so far so good, but I wouldn't let you pull any cheap tricks today."

"Wonderful," Liv droned. "It goes both ways though, bud, and," she paused for a moment as her mind caught up with the conversation. "Wait a second. Since when do you have your phone? The rental place would not have been open this early on Christmas morning, even in New York." Liv arched an eyebrow in his direction, "and wasn't it broken, or damaged, or something like that, from your fall?"

Andy shrugged, "Apparently the cold had only knocked out the battery. It just needed a good recharge after it warmed up." He held the phone up, "but I have it now and it is working." He tucked the device into his pocket and shifted forward to grab the television remote from the coffee table. "Want to watch _A Christmas Story_? That should be on one of those annoying cable stations. They still play it for twenty-four hours on Christmas."

"Sure," Liv hummed as she moved to sit on the other end of the couch. She smirked at her brother, "but that won't distract me from this conversation. I don't have to be an elite detective to see there is something you're not telling me." She held her drink up in the air, "and you didn't bring anything back for yourself. Odd, since you're a fan of coffee, you being a cop and all."

He pursed his lips for a moment and finally rolled his eyes as he sat back on the couch, placing the remote back on the table. "Apparently Emily had grabbed the phone from the back when she picked up Sharon's bag. Not a big deal, it's here now."

"Not a big deal," Liv repeated. "Well, that does sound like an innocent mistake. However, the whole thing that the phone is now back in your possession lends itself to a few more questions. If you don't explain yourself than obviously I will create an elaborate story in my mind about how it has miraculously returned to your possession. Another Christmas miracle. Of course I could just call my friend Sharon to see what's going on."

Andy rubbed his hand over his face, "There is no need to do that, Liv. Don't bother Sharon. It's Christmas. Let them have their morning together. She brought the phone over this morning to drop off downstairs and I ran into her in the lobby. It was an innocent mistake. Emily didn't know that she had grabbed it."

"And that's the end of the story?" His sister smiled, "because it has been a few hours since I heard you popping and cracking down the hall."

"Popping and cracking?" He echoed. "At least I was up and moving, and brought you something."

Liv took another drink. "You did, but there you go again avoiding my questions. Like I said, I'm not a detective, but I have my own big sister interrogation tactics and am not afraid to use them. We have all morning."

"Fine, I ran into her in the lobby," Andy revealed, "and then we went to Starbucks. Now, I would appreciate it if you would drop the subject. There is so much more going on in the world than you acting all strange about Sharon and Emily. It was a random coincidence and that's all. You do not have to keep playing this game. We rarely see each other at work, and I was not kidding about the fact that I am usually defending myself or arguing with her. That is just how it is, and this trip will probably not change any of that. We have our own lives, and even our own departments."

As Andy's rant concluded he once again reached for the remote control. He turned the volume on the television up a little louder, clearly ending the conversation. Liv sat beside him, taking in all of the information. She had perhaps taken her teasing too far, but he also was reacting in a way that made her think there could be something more going on. She sat back on the sofa and got comfortable, holding her drink in both hands and watched silently.

After another couple moments of watching the movie Liv looked sighed, "Well, I won't bother you about it again. I am sorry, maybe you're right. Maybe you two will never be friends. I do like her though, and sometimes friendships turn into something more." She paused for a moment and cut her eyes to her own phone. "What do you say to a nice walk around the Park this afternoon? The snow will not have melted in the fields. It will be a nice and relaxing recovery from last night's adventure."

With his eyes still facing forward, Andy shrugged, "Okay. Whatever you want to do, sis."

Liv took another sip and smiled, "Well, I want to enjoy your company and get out a bit. I apologize for bringing up your not friend. Maybe I am wrong, maybe you two are just coworkers and nothing more."

"Maybe," Andy hummed not looking at her. "Things sometimes change, but real life is different than holiday life. Let's just enjoy the rest of my trip, okay?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for your patience with me on this! I got in late last night/this morning, but then my dogs still woke me up like nothing had happened... so here we are ;). Thanks for your continued to support. I am still beyond thrilled to read that so many of you have been enjoying this. I know I keep saying it, but we really are getting close to the end of this little prompt idea lol


	16. The Park

The rest of the morning was spent opening gifts and calling Ricky one more time before the end of the day. He and his friends were packing up for their short ski trip, and he once again promised his mother they would all be careful. After the call, very little was mentioned about the day before, or the morning's coffee adventure. While Sharon knew her daughter meant well, it was difficult to not get a little flustered with her questions and assumptions.

Sharon was still working all of it out herself, and having Emily teasing her was not helping. It was lovely to be with her daughter, but at times difficult to navigate their evolving mother/daughter relationship. Emily was an adult, and testing how far she could take her prying. Sharon knew it was all in good fun; that Emily was truly interested in her life, but it was a little stressful while she herself was unsure of what was she was doing. The jokes were innocent enough to begin with, but they were beginning to take on a new meaning as her interactions with Andy outside of work increased.

This afternoon Sharon and Emily had decided to eat a light lunch at The Plaza before exploring the wintery scenes in Central Park. Emily wanted to take a few pictures of the snow while there were fewer people out to traipse through the photos. The city was more awake now, but most people were leisurely exploring the sights, and enjoying a rare time of fewer crowds and less traffic. It was still busy, but nothing like the normal hoards of people meandering around the popular venues.

"That was perfect," Sharon beamed as she and he daughter left the through The Plaza's side door onto 59th Street arm in arm. "I am so glad you wanted to get out today. Now we can say we had Christmas tea and cakes at The Plaza. Another New York experience to add to the year."

Emily returned her mother's smile, "Just like Eloise. I am so happy it did not take too long to get a table. Now we can wander around for the rest of the day. How is your leg? Are you okay to walk around for a while?"

"It will be fine. I can rest when I get back to LA," Sharon assured her daughter. "It tinges a little here and there if I misstep, but we are here and I am not going to miss anything to nurse a simple bruise. I still mostly work in my office. There will be time to rest it later."

Her daughter smiled at the determination in her mother's voice as they crossed the street at the hotel driveway. When they reached the other side, the two walked along beside the horse drawn carriages awaiting passengers at the park entrance. Some of the drivers had Christmas lights wrapped around their reigns, each one had potted poinsettias on the corners of the carts, and a few of the horses were also dressed for the occasion. The snow around the grey stonewall of the park and old iron light posts gave the whole area a vintage holiday feel. Emily and Sharon admired the setting, but chose to walk into the park rather than to go for a carriage ride.

Once they entered the Park, Emily discreetly checked her phone while her mother continued to stroll along beside her. Noting the time she dropped the phone back into her bag, and guided them along the walkway in the direction of the Central Park Zoo.

"The zoo isn't open today, but we could maybe see some of the animals through the bars of the fence," Emily reasoned, her arm still linked with her mother's. "I really love the area, especially the clock on the other side heading into the petting zoo area. If we hurry we will get there in time to see the statues chime and rotate. My favorite is the penguin, but I mean the bear and the bunny are also fun. I can never remember all six of them. Oh the monkeys on top though, I hope we can get there before it chimes. I want to take some pictures of it as it changes, maybe even a video to send to Ricky when we get back to my place."

Sharon rotated the wrist of their joined arms to check the time on her watch. "Well, it's five 'til so we should be able to -." She cut herself off mid sentence as she lifted her head forward to see a familiar pair walking toward them. She stopped in her tracks and pulled her daughter closer to her side. Sharon lowered her voice to a direct whisper, "Emily Eileen, did you do this?"

Emily feigned confusion, "What do you mean? We just left lunch and you wanted to walk around the Park."

"Emily this is not funny. Seriously, we are friends, nothing that you need to be concerned with. This whole trip has been so far out of the norm I can't even begin to explain." Sharon paused to collect herself. She met her daughter's eyes, "Look, sweetheart, I know you are having fun, but this is my life. I do not need you to push it in any direction. I am an adult and can take care of myself. I have been doing it all on my own for years now, Em. It was all fun at first, but I promise you I have everything under control."

Her daughter bit down on her bottom lip. "I know, Mom. I just thought it would be fun to hang out with them again. I really like Andy, and Liv texted this morning to say he was M.I.A. I assumed it would be all right since you seemed to be missing out there with him. I mean you have already spent so much time together. What is a little more here now? You can always go back to work and pretend this whole thing never happened." Emily shrugged anxiously, still trying to explain her actions. "Where is the harm in a group outing at Central Park on Christmas Day? We are all friends at this point, right?"

Sharon sighed and returned her gaze to the approaching pair. "Just a group outing," she echoed, "with our friends." She glanced back to her daughter, "I would never in a million years have predicted those words would come out of my mouth in regards to anyone with the last name of Flynn. Or that this is where we would be on Christmas Day." She gave her daughter a reluctant smile as Emily squeezed their arms together. She unhooked her elbow from her mother's arm. "But Emily, please-."

"And when the day is over this can all stay here in the city. What happens in New York," Emily smiled stepping to the side, interrupting her mother and directing her free arm forward. "I won't say anything else about it. I am sorry. I see how this could be a little awkward. I mean I did feel like you two enjoyed each other's company, but if not, um this was all Liv's idea."

She rolled her eyes, but gave her daughter a small smile at the all too familiar explanation. "Of course it was."

"Sharon! Emily!" Liv waved from the archway under the Delacorte Clock. "So wonderful to see you both again!" She walked over ad hugged both women while Andy stood off to the side behind her. "We could not have asked for a more perfect Christmas, weather wise," she beamed. "Of course the snowstorm almost ruined it all, but," her voice trailed as she turned to open her body to the path ahead, "it has turned out all right here in the end, I mean it is gorgeous out here today."

"It really is," Sharon smiled as her eyes drifted in Andy's direction. "I would never have expected a snowstorm like that to turn out like this."

Andy stepped forward to join the group, "Me either." He shot his sister a questioning glance, "I guess we are all spending some more time together today, Olivia?"

"I guess we are now that we have run into them out here." Liv smiled, "What are the odds?" She spun on her heel and reached out for Emily. "I mean it is such a large city, and yet here we all are again. Emily, were you saying something about wanting to take some different photos of the snow covered bridges and statues out around the park? Here we can take some of the clock and then head up to the bridge by the Iditarod statue. It is very picturesque at the moment."

Emily snapped a few photos of the bronze clock as the music began to play and the animals rotated along their track. When then chimes ended Liv pulled Emily along with her under the archway and back down the path. As the two walked away Andy rolled his eyes at his sister's excited manner and not so subtle diversion. "I mean, what are the odds?" He groaned under his breath and threw his arms in the air in mock surprise. "Geez, sis, it seems like another one of those Christmas miracles."

Being the only one nearby to catch his grumbling, Sharon smirked and took a step forward to follow the others. Once she was beside Andy she leaned in and sighed, "Who knew we were due for so many?"

A few steps away, Emily glanced back and gave her mother an apologetic shrug. The other woman continued to pull her forward by her hand. She mouthed, "I'm sorry," before she turned completely to walk along beside Liv. Sharon smiled and rolled her eyes. She was not really upset with her daughter; at this point it was somewhat entertaining to see the level of scheming the two had been involved in that morning. This was not the Christmas she had imagined, but it was definitely going to be one of her more memorable holidays.

"So," Andy hummed as they watched Liv and Emily walk off together. "This has been an interesting vacation."

Sharon's eyes trailed along their path as well. She turned her head to her right, "You could say that again."

They walked along, leisurely following Emily and Liv down the path and around toward the statue. "I am sorry my sister has kept this going," Andy broke the silence. "I doubt Emily would have gone along with it if Liv had not been here to egg her on. She's like that sometimes. She does not always know when to stop."

"Sisters," Sharon gave him a sarcastic half-smile, "they can be so fun." He answered with a sigh as she went on, "You don't have to apologize though, Andy. I really do like your sister, even if she and Emily have been meddling a bit too much."

Andy let out a dry chuckle, "Meddling is right." They strolled along, both facing the paved trail ahead. "I, um," Andy stammered trying to think of what to say, "I mean, well, Liv enjoyed the drink you ordered this morning. Thank you for making sure I got it right." He had not expected to see Sharon again this trip after watching her cab drive away, so he was unsure of where to take the conversation. A lot had happened in the short window since their flight had been diverted. Now that they were together again it was a little uncomfortable not knowing if their goodbye that morning was something to address or to ignore. Before he could take the extra time to consider how to address it, he heard Sharon inhale to speak.

She nodded, her eyes fixed ahead of them, "You're welcome. I know it can be overwhelming when you don't know the menu. Luckily, Emily has the same tastes."

"Yes," Andy replied. He glanced down to his left. Sharon was walking along admiring the scenery. The fields and trees were still covered in snow. The sun reflecting from the surfaces gave everything a completely different feel than the normal New York Park. "Liv was right, we did get lucky with this trip. It could have been a lot worse."

Sharon turned to him with a meaningful stare, "Yes, either one of us could have been stuck traveling with your partner or someone like that." She gave an involuntary shutter and the thought. Returning to his statement she sighed, "but lucky? That was definitely not the first thought that came to my mind when the pilot made the announcement. Probably even farther from my mind when we agreed to rent that car together."

"True," Andy chuckled, "but now? I mean an unexpected snowstorm, sure, but here we are." He slowly fanned his arm out in front of him as a gesture to their current location. "I mean, it's a beautiful white Christmas, and maybe the company has not been that bad."

Sharon suppressed a small smile at his comment. "Maybe not," she reiterated, her eye catching a cardinal as he flew across the path and landed on a nearby branch.

Andy's eyes followed along with hers, "It feels like something out of a film; the perfect winter storm and all. I mean it has been a nice couple of days since then. A lot to think about, I guess."

"Mm hmm," Sharon shrugged, pausing to watch the bird along with a couple others who joined him in the tree. "It has been like living in a completely separate world,' she mused. "As if these last couple of days are something separate from our actual lives." Her voice trailed as she continued to observe the birds, allowing her mind to trail back through her memories.

Up ahead, Emily turned around. She stopped at the sight of them staring at the wildlife and placed her hands on either side of her mouth to project her voice, "Hey you two! Are you coming?"

Her daughter's voice pulled her back to the present. She turned her head to the right and waved, "Yes, we will be right there!" Emily smiled and returned to her conversation with Liv. Sharon inhaled calmly and glanced back one final time to the birds chirping on the snowy limb.

Andy stood for a moment as well, and smiled to himself at the quiet winter scene. He looked ahead to see the others rounding the path ahead to the left, and back to Sharon. He reached to her and gently pulled her along the sidewalk with him. "I think they're trying to lose us," he grinned as they restarted their walk.

Sharon's eyes fell to his hand and then back to the path ahead. She followed along beside him, still somewhat lost in her thoughts. As they rounded the next corner the statue came into view. Pausing in front of it, she smiled, "Emily loves this one." She gestured toward the bronze statue of the wolf hybrid. "When I dropped her off at school we walked through the park and she was very happy to stumble across _Balto_ here. It was one of my children's favorites movies growing up, so the fact that the statue was real," her voice trailed as she recalled Emily's excitement at reading the actual plaque, "was a pretty big deal."

"I could see that," Andy exhaled quietly. "I think I may have missed that one though. I know the story, loosely, but not in terms of a children's film. I missed a few things like that back then."

Sharon looked up. His eyes were fixed ahead, momentarily lost in his own memories. Although, judging by his empty stare his were not as positive as hers had been. She bumped his shoulder with hers in what she hoped was a gesture of encouragement. He smiled down to her and without a word from him, they turned to resume their stroll. "Even if you did miss a few things, Andy, there is still time," she whispered. "There is always time to create new memories. You can't go back and make everything better, but making every today meaningful is always an option."

Andy nodded, "Yes, all we can do is to keep trying. To keep moving forward."

"Indeed," Sharon hummed. "That's all we can do. Everyone has their pasts."

Andy nodded again, but said nothing more. They walked along in silence, under the bridge, and to the right to follow Emily and Liv toward the Lake and the Bethesda Fountain.

Sharon glanced down and noticed he was still holding her hand. She thought back to the previous morning, and was struck by all that had changed since the first time she had caught herself holding his hand. However, just like the previous morning she had not noticed this time either, so that part was consistent. She carefully released her hold and tucked her hands into her pockets.

Andy had not realized he had been holding her hand either until she removed hers from his grip. To cover the awkwardness he mirrored her actions, and slipped his hands into the pockets of his coat as well. "Still a little cold out here," he observed trudging along. "Of course not as cold as the other night."

"That's true," Sharon affirmed readjusting her coat around her body. "As your sister said, the weather did take a very pleasant turn. It was rather chilly, even inside the hotel."

Andy nodded, "Yeah, even the heating systems can't always keep up with the bad ones." He chose not to take the topic any further, but still had some things he wanted to discuss with her before they returned to their real lives. He turned toward her, "So, Sharon, when do you fly out? This morning I think you said tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "The afternoon flight, then a cab home, and work the next morning. Just a couple days here and then back to reality."

Andy chuckled nervously, "Reality. Well, I don't know if I mentioned it, but I have enjoyed our little non-reality adventure."

"Me too," Sharon exhaled.

He stopped beside her, "And for what it's worth, I'm sorry for being a jerk and for always 'toeing the line.'" He raised his fingers to air quote the last three words, repeating what she has said earlier that morning.

She stopped walking as well and turned to him. "It's fine, Andy. Toeing the line happens from time to time. You're a good cop," she paused, "and a good person. Keep trying with your kids. They will realize how much you care. Simply being present and wanting to be there for them is a big deal. Even if it takes time, and even if they don't seem to realize it now. They will at some point, trust me."

"I mean if I can convince you, I can convince anyone, right?" He joked in an attempt to break the growing tension in the air.

Sharon smirked, "Sure. If that's how you need to think about it."

"So, I've convinced you?" Andy grinned softly in her direction.

She shrugged and turned to return to their walk, "I didn't say that exactly."

"But you kind of did," Andy mused, reaching out to stop her from walking away. "I mean, it seems like you don't mind my company. Maybe there could be something after this trip, something in the real world..."

Sharon pressed her lips together as she met his eyes again. She was not sure how to reply to his comment, or how she wanted to reply. The trip truly had been a surprise, and a growing part of her was sad to know it was about to end. She took a silent step toward him, her eyes dropping to focus on the zipper of his coat.

He stood across from her watching as her expressions changed subtly. He could sense her mind working through their growing friendship. At her prolonged silence, Andy reached out to lift her chin toward his face. He smiled as her eyes met his, and cautiously leaned forward. He hoped his slow movement would allow her plenty of time to step away if he had misread the moment. She did not step back, or turn away. Instead her eyes locked onto his. She watched steadily as he edged closer to her.

With his eyes fixed on hers, his lips curled into a soft smile. Tiny sparkles of light danced through her deep emerald eyes. As he neared he was struck by the way the color shifted to shades of green he did not know existed. Caught off guard by the breathtaking sight, and the potential of the moment, he paused briefly mid movement. At his hesitation Sharon lifted the left side of her mouth into a half grin and leaned in. She met him halfway, her lips pressing softly against his.

At the delicate touch he smiled into the kiss and lifted his right hand to cup her left cheek, his left hand reaching out to pull her closer. They stood together lost in the moment before Sharon gradually pulled her face away from his. A couple inches from him she gently pillowed the side of her face into his open palm. Her eyes glittered up to meet his as she sighed, "Hmm, maybe we can try to make something work in the real world. Maybe there could be some kind of discussion."

Andy let out an airy snort in response and echoed, "Maybe." With a calmness he did not know he possessed, he leaned in to recapture her lips in a deeper kiss.

Behind them the other two had turned to see how far behind Sharon and Andy had fallen. Liv poked Emily in the side, "See, I knew it would be fine. There was definitely something there. They just needed a little more time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, all of you lovely people. I really hope this update was all right. I have very rarely tried to write anything that was not a conversation laced with snark. So, trying new things, yay lol. I know it was a little cheesy, but thank you so much for reading! I think this is the end of the cliche Christmas movie story part (and only a couple weeks later than planned haha), but I was going to post a short epilogue in a couple of days. Would that work for you? I also have a decent sized chunk of a deleted conversation from chapter 10 (when they were at the dinner before ice skating) and could tag that to the bottom of the epilogue if anyone was interested in reading that?


	17. Epilogue and Deleted Scene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your reviews, follows, kudos, and messages. I was blown away by all of your kind words. The email notifications had me smiling all day. Seriously, thank you, thank you! So, here is a short and silly little epilogue scene set the following day. Then below is the deleted/alternative dinner conversation from Chapter 10. I am kind of sad to be finished with this story, but I couldn't leave it without a last little bit with my favorite Lieutenant teddy bear. :)

**A Little Snow - Epilogue**

Removing his bucket hat Provenza stepped through the sliding glass doors and pushed through the oncoming swarm of tired travelers. He grumbled as he bumped elbows with a man's duffel bag, and held back a groan as a child's backpack swung around and hit him below the wait.

"Flynn!" He called from the other side of the luggage carousel. "Over here!" He waved his hat in the air to get his friend's attention.

Andy looked up from where he was awaiting the arrival of his suitcase on the conveyor belt. He gave his partner a wave to acknowledge his presence, before stepping forward as the light flashed and the belt began to rotate around.

Provenza rolled his eyes and stomped over to his friend. "My gods, how long will this take? Your flight was late coming in and I am about to lose my first hour free in the lot."

Andy shot the man an unimpressed glare, "Yes, because that is all my fault. I willed the plane to be just a few minutes late to screw up your parking plans."

"Well," the other man huffed. "You could at least move in closer to get a better spot, or here's an idea - you could have carried it on. That would have saved us both some time now. It's not like you had a lot to pack, and I mean I didn't have to be nice and offer to pick you up. I hate the airport." Provenza crossed his arms over his chest as he watched the bags roll by. Andy closed his eyes briefly and let out a calming breath. It had been rather nice to spend a few days away from his partner, but he definitely would have enjoyed a few more.

"If it is too much of a hardship to wait, you could always go get the car," Andy droned, looking down to his partner. "I don't need your supervision. I think I can find my bag all on my own."

Provenza glanced to the conveyor belt and the sea of approaching suitcases. He let out an exaggerated groan, "Fine," and turned to totter off to the parking lot. However, as he turned the sight of a familiar face a few people away gave him pause. He pulled his hat onto his head and turned back to his partner.

"My lord," he grumbled, nodding his head to the left. "Do you see that? What are the odds? I guess our Christmas break is officially over, the witch is back."

Sharon approached the two men, her eyes focused on her suitcase as it traveled around the carousel. She passed in between them to reach for the handle of her bag before it was taken away. Noticing the familiar luggage, Andy cut the distance and reached down to pull it off of the belt for her. He extended the handle and guided it into her outstretched hand.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Sharon exhaled with a nod, holding back a smile as she closed her hand around the handle of her suitcase.

"You're welcome, Captain," he returned with a similarly amused but _trying-to-cover-for-it,_ tone. He gave her a wink as she turned toward the airport exit.

She cast a sideways glance to Provenza as she moved passed him and smiled mischievously. As she stepped around him, she dipped her head and dropped her voice to a whisper, "Louie," without missing a beat.

At the exchange, Provenza whirled on his partner. "What in the hell was that?" He choked out.

Andy casually shrugged his shoulders, "What was what?"

"That!" The Lieutenant gestured in Sharon's direction.

"I handed her her bag?" Andy offered as he directed his attention back to the baggage claim carousel. His own luggage had just made it to the belt and was on its way toward him. He stepped sideways to wedge between two other travelers to be able to reach for his suitcase more easily.

"Just like that?" Provenza asked, confused as to why his partner was acting so peculiar. "And what did she just call me?" He swiveled his head and squinted out the doorway. It had only been four days, but the last time he had checked Captain Raydor was not on their list of friendly coworkers. He crossed his arms and stared back at Andy, awaiting an explanation.

"I guess," Andy shrugged again. "I mean it was her bag, I was closer to the belt. It would have been rude to let it go by. I just handed it to her. As for your other question, I am sure she said Lieutenant. Even if she didn't, that is your name. Once again, not a State Secret. She can call you whatever she wants, she does outrank you after all."

He reached down to pull his bag off of the track. With it beside him he turned to the exit, leaving Provenza behind still processing the scene. As Andy walked away the other man shook off his confusion and hurried to follow. Together they exited the airport. Before they could reach the crosswalk, Provenza bumped Andy on the arm, "Fine whatever, but was that a wink? Was Raydor with you on your flight?"

"It appears that she was on the same flight," he replied looking down the sidewalk toward the line of people waiting for their rides. Sharon was near the front of the group gazing out at the cars. She had her hand up against her forehead to block the reflection of the setting sun as it bounced off of the windshields of the passing vehicles. While he stared, a slight grin crossed his face.

His partner glared at his almost puppy dog-like expression. "Ye' gods, what did you do?" The other man groaned. "What in the hell is going on here?"

Andy dropped his eyes to his partner and arched an eyebrow. Before he could reply, the traffic stopped for them to cross the street in the direction of the hourly parking lot.

Halfway across the walkway Provenza froze. "Hold it right there, Flynn." Andy kept walking as the crosswalk countdown went to zero and the light changed. A car horn blasting behind him caused him to turn. His partner was still in the middle of the street, staring at him in disbelief.

Andy rolled his eyes, "Get out of the middle of the road, Provenza. I don't want to have to train a new partner either."

The Lieutenant crossed the street and grabbed the side of his partner's jacket to pull him closer. Once he was sure he had Andy's undivided attention, Provenza grumbled, "Please do not tell me that _she_ was your _we_."

The corner of Andy's mouth lifted ever so slightly at the question. He squinted one eye in his partner's direction and shook out of his hold. "Okay, I won't tell you that," he smirked and turned to continue the walk to the car.

**The End.**

* * *

_A/N: I hope this extra bit worked! Okay, so the scene below was one direction I had originally imagined the dinner conversation going, but then I ended up choosing something else. I gave Andy a little backstory and had Liv trying to understand the working relationship/friendship... Since I never found a place to squeeze the info, it's just tagged here_

* * *

_(The intro to the scene from Chapter 10. They are at the restaurant eating dinner...)_

_Liv sat across the table observing their banter. She leaned toward Sharon conspiratorially, "Tell me, Sharon. What is my little brother like at work? His stories always leave me thinking there is something more. You know he has always been a bit of a troublemaker. Momma always said it was a pleasant surprise for all of us when he made the choice to be on this side of the bars, rather than ending up on the other side of them."_

_Still enjoying the conversation Emily smiled mischievously across the table, "Is she saying you were trouble as a kid, Andy?"_

_Liv nodded to the young woman, "He acted out some."_

"Who didn't," Andy huffed. "I may have made some questionable decisions, but someone helped me out back then."

Liv leaned back in her seat, "Really, who? What are you talking about?"

Andy nodded in her direction, "Officer Milano. He caught a group of us, um, taking advantage of a five-finger discount at a bodega one afternoon. Everyone ran off, but I tripped and he caught me…"

"You, Mister graceful, tripped? Shocking," his sister mocked.

Without acknowledging her quip, Andy continued, "… Although, instead of taking me in, he had me ride around with him that afternoon. Milano talked about the job, the neighborhood, and his own life. Then we stopped and helped a couple people in the old neighborhood; carried groceries for Mrs. Sullivan, helped a couple kids search for their cat, stuff like that. A couple hours later he drove me back to the store and arranged for me to volunteer there after school as a reparation."

"I didn't know that," Liv hummed. "I thought you were working there to impress their daughter."

Andy shrugged, "Well, that was an added bonus. No, I was started off working off my crime, but I think looking back that was the moment things changed. He showed me a different side of the job, and it stuck. Also, it was nice that I got a small discount for working there and was able to build up a pretty solid baseball card collection." Liv sat for a moment taking in the new information.

"Are you still into baseball?" Emily wondered, breaking the silence. "Mom prefers football, but my brother played baseball growing up. She took us to a few of Dodger games over the years. It is really fun to watch the games in person, plus the Dodger Dogs and pretzels. I have not been to any games out here though. It is on my list of things to do."

Andy shifted slightly in his seat, "It is an experience. I started out my love of baseball here of course, but I love getting out to see the Dodgers play as well. My partner and I try to go to games when we get the chance, but work occasionally gets in the way."

"Yes," Sharon leaned toward her daughter, "Unless of course he chooses to not deal with work related situations until after the games." She smiled slyly over at Andy, "Skybox tickets are so difficult to come by."

As Sharon's voice trailed Liv looked between the woman and her brother. "Oh, I am sensing a story here," she smiled. "I feel like someone is about to shout, 'It was all Provenza's fault,' at any moment."

"Provenza?" Emily clarified, "That's the partner, right?"

Sharon nodded, "Indeed it is." She smiled across the table, "and Liv may be a psychic because I believe that was part of the statement I read."

"Well, I will have you know that it was his idea to ignore that body," Andy began as he crossed his arms over his chest. "We made it right in the end."

His sister lifted her hand to her mouth, " _That_ body? Oh Andrew."

"Let's talk about something else?" Andy requested, "We are about to eat, and it is Christmas. This is not really table talk."

Liv lifted an eyebrow in Sharon's direction, "I think I need more information later, Sharon. I never get to hear about the fun parts of my little brother's life anymore." She leaned toward Andy, "Or if I do it is only a story about how irritating his little friend is..."

"Partner," Andy clarified.

"Fun is relative term," Sharon joked. "To be fair, he is not always in trouble. I have a few other officers to worry about these days. Andy just has a knack for getting himself into sticky situations."

Andy rolled his eyes sardonically, "I feel like a broken record at this point, but I would like to remind you all that I have been exonerated of every allegation."

"Well," his sister reasoned, "that doesn't mean you aren't a headache. You have been prone to finding yourself in what Sharon just said, _sticky situations_ , your entire life. Although that is a nicer term than what our parents would have used." She leaned into the table, "Did you hear about the parking lot situation a couple years ago, Sharon?"

"Of course I did," she sighed, "I was there."

Emily shifted in her seat to rejoin the conversation, "What happened in the parking lot?"

"Some dirtbag wanted to get rid of me," Andy shrugged. "Nothing too serious."

Liv squinted in his direction, "Nothing too serious? How many stitches did you have in your side? And I am pretty sure your shoulder still gives you trouble." She directed her attention back to Sharon, "I did not realize you were there. Andy just gave me the cliff's notes on the whole ordeal, I was not able to make it out to check on him."

"Well, he called it in himself and I had the team and ambulance meet him at the church."

His sister turned her head in his direction, "Is it common practice to call a fellow officer before an ambulance, Andrew? That seems like a bit of a strange decision on your part."

Andy pressed his lips together in consideration, "Well, I guess an ambulance would have been a good idea. I was just thinking about the fact that I had clipped the guy and someone needed to track him down. FID was going to need to be there at some point, her number was in my phone."

"Interesting," Liv sighed, "well, I guess it is old news now. At least she answered and knew where to send the ambulance."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all again! I do not have anything currently in the works, but I hope some kind of idea for either this or something new will come to me soon. xx


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